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AN 



EASY GRAMMAR 



OF THE 



ITALIAN LANGUAGE; 



FOR 









THE USE OF SCHOOLS 






BY 






JOHN CHRISTISON, 



TEACHER OF MODERN LANGUAGES IN THE DUNDEE PUBLIC 




EDINBURGH: MYLES MACPHAIL. 

LONDON : SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL, 

1845. 






C 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The very favourable reception given to the Author's* 
French Grammar, has induced, him to publish an 
Italian one on the same simple plan, in which he 
has kept out all rules where the two languages agree. 
It contains copious exercises, phrases, and dialogues. 
An accent has been added to facilitate the acquire- 
ment of the pronunciation. 



**- 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



The Italian Language has Twenty-two Let- 
ters. 

A BC DEFGHI 

as a in far, bay, tchay, day, a, eff, jay, acca, ee, 
J LMNOPQRSTU 

ee long, ell, em, en, o, pay, coo, err, ess, tay, oo, 
V Z. 

vay, dzeta and tzeta. 

The vowels are six ; a e i j o u, 

J is only used at the end of words instead of ii; 
as tempj for tempii, temples. H has no sound 
whatever in Italian. 

When the accent falls on the vowel at the end 
of a word, it is always marked with the grave 
accent, ( s ) : as piii, more ; citta, city. 

The accent falls very generally on the penulti- 
mate syllable, and is not marked ; for example, 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



sovrano is pronounced with the accent on vra, 
in uttering which, the voice is somewhat raised, 
and dwells longer upon it than upon either of the 
other syllables. But if the accent should fall 
upon the antepenultimate, which frequently hap- 
pens, an acute accent will be placed over that 
syllable in this grammar, in order to facilitate 
the acquirement of the pronunciation. 

A TABLE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE 
SOUNDS IN THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE. 

Italian sounds. English sounds. Examples. 

Ca, as ca in calm, campo, field 

Co, close, co in colon, colmo, height 

Co, open, co in corpse, corpo, body 

Cu, cu in cuckoo, cur a, care 

Ce, close, cha in chase, cena, supper 

Ce, open, chai in chair, cento, hundred 

Ci, chee in cheek, cicuta, hemlock 

Che, close, ca in cater, chetare, to quiet 

Che, open, ca in care, chennisi, crimson 

Chi, kee in keen, china, declivity 

Cia, cha in charm, ciarla, prating 

Cie, close, tcheca, ciecare, to blind 

Cie, open, tcheca, cielo, heaven 

Cio, close, cho in chose, ciottare, to whip 

Cio, open, cho in chop, ciottolo, pebble 

Ciu, choo in choose, ciurma, crew 

See, close, sha in shame, scemo, foolish 

See, open, sha in share, scena, scene 

Scia, sha in shall, scialare, to exhale 

Scio, close, sho in shore, buscione, bush of thorns 

Scio, oyeri, sho in shock, sciocco, stupid 

Sdu, sho in shoe, ascivgare, to dry 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Italian sounds* English sounds. Examples. 

Schia, as skea (a in far) schiavo, slave 
Schie, close, ske-a (a in fate) schierato, ranged 
ske-a (a in fare) schiera, army 
skio (o in fore) schiodare, to unnail 
skio (o in lop) schioppo, musket 
skiu, schiuso, excluded 

gua in guarantee, garbo, garb 



Schie, open, 

Schio, close, 

Schio, open, 

Schiu, 

Ga, 

Go, close, 

Go, open, 

Gu, 

Ge, close, 

Ge, open, 

Gi, 

Ghe, close, 

Ghe, open, 

Ghi, 

Gia, 

Gio, close, 

Gio, open, 

Giu, 

GU, 



goa in goal, 
go in gone, 
goo in goose, 
jai in jail, 
ge in gentle, 
jee in jeer, 
gai in gaily, 
ge in get, 
gee in geer, 
jau in jaunt, 
jo in joke, 
jo in jog, 
ju in jury, 
lli in million 



goto, throat 
gora, canal 
gusto, taste 
gettare, to throw 
gente, people 
giro, turn 
ghermire, to seize. 
gheppio, hawk 
ghiro, dormouse 
giara, flagon 
giorno, day 
giostra, combat 
giuro, I swear 
egli, he ; eglino, they 



But gli in negligere, to neglect, and its deriva- 
tives sound glee. 



Gna 
Grie 
Gni 
Gno 
Gnu 



nia (a in far) 

niai 

nn 

nio 

niu, like new, 



Gnao, mewing 
agnello, lamb 
regni, kingdoms 
regno, kingdom 
ignudo, naked 



Z, ZZ, as ts in fits, zio, uncle ; zucca, gourd ; 
nozze, nuptials. 

Z, ZZ, as ds in Windsor, azzurro, azure ; costanza, 
constancy ; mezzo, middle. 



6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



OF GENDER. 

There are two genders ; the masculine and the 
feminine. 

Rule. — Italian nouns are of the same gender 
as the English masculines and feminities to which 
they correspond ; as re, king, masc. ; regina, queen, 
fem. ; cavallo, horse, masc. ; cavalla, mare, fern. ; 
except Maesta, Majesty; Altezza, Highness; 
Santita, Holiness ; Eccellenza, Excellency ; which 
are feminine. 

Nouns of the following terminations are mas- 
culine : — 

1. Those ending in o; except mano, hand. 

2. In me; except fame, hunger; speme, hope. 

3. In re ; except febbre, fever ; polvere, dust ; 
scure, axe ; torre, tower. 

4. In rite ; except gente, people ; mente, mind ; 
corrente, current ; lente, lentil ; semente, seed. 

Nouns of the following terminations are femi- 
nine : — 

1. Those ending in a; except poema, poem; 
tenia, theme ; pianeta, planet ; dramma, drama. 

2. In i; except di, day, and its compounds ; 
Lunedl, Monday ; Martedl, Tuesday, &c. ; biin- 
dtsi, toast ; ecclissi, eclipse. 

3. In u ; except Peru, Peru ; Corfu, Corfu, 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR, 



EXERCISE ON GENDER. 



Mente, mind 

Cost ume , custom 
Fortuna, fortune 
Corpo, body 
Sera, evening 
Onore, honour 
Ftco, fig 
Scure, axe 

MercoleoVi, Wednesday 
Virtu, virtue 
Padre, father 
Cdccia, chase 
Uccello, bird 
Bugia, lie 
Fame, hunger 



Duca, duke 
Poema, poem 
Gru, crane 
Lume, light 
Gente, people 
Peril, Peru 
Monte, mountain 
Mono, hand 
Maesta, Majesty 
Carta, paper 
Cane, dog 
Carrozza, carriage. 
Altezza, Highness 
Regina, queen 
Febbre, fever. 



OF NUMBER. 

There are two numbers, the singular and the 
plural. 



PLURAL OF MASCULINE NOUNS. 

Rule. — Masculine nouns, whatever be their 
termination, change the final vowel into i for the 
plural ; as pianeta, planet ; pianeti, planets ; pa- 
dre, father ; padri, fathers , amico, friend ; amici> 
friends ; desio, desire ; desii, desires. 



8 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

Exceptions. — 1. Those in do, gio, chio, glio, 
drop the final o, for the plural ; as bacio, kiss ; 
bad, kisses ; raggio, ray ; raggi, rays ; figlio, son ; 
figli, sons ; occhio, eye, occhi, eyes. 

2. Those in co and go, of only two syllables, 
and compound nouns of the same termination, 
change the co and go into chi, ghi, for the plural ; 
asjico, fig, fichi, figs ; rogo, funeral pile, roghi, 
funeral piles ; beccafico, fig-pecker, beccafichi, 
fig-peckers ; except porco, pig, Greco, Greek, 
mago, magician, which have for the plural porci, 
Greet, magi. 

3. Those in io, short, change io into j, for the 
plural ; as tempio, temple, tempj, temples. 

4. Those in ca make the plural in chi ; as duca, 
duke, cluchi, dukes. 

5. Bio, God, uomo, man, bue, ox, make in the 
plural Dei, gods, uomini, men, buoi, oxen. 

PLURAL OF FEMININE NOUNS. 

Rule 1. Feminine nouns in a change a into 
e for the plural ; as tdvola, table ; tdvole, tables ; 
bugia, lie ; bugie, lies. 

Exceptions. — 1. Those in gia short, and da 
change ia into e ; as Idncia, lance ; lance, lances ; 
spidggia, shore ; spiagge, shores. 

2. Those in ca and ga make the plural in die 
and glte ; as barca, bark ; bardie, barks ; leg a, 
league ; leghe, leagues. 

Rule 2. Those in e and o change e and o into 
i; as madre, mother; madri, mothers; mano, 
hand ; mani, hands. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



9 



Exception. Moglie, wife, makes mogli in the 
plural. 

Nouns of either gender, accented on the last 
vowel ; and those in i and ie have the plural 
like the singular. Nouns of one syllable come 
under this rule ; as virtu, virtue and virtues ; 
cittd, city and cities ; re, king and kings ; di, day 
and days. 



EXERCISE ON THE FORMATION OF THE PLURAL 

OF NOUNS. 



Pvete, priest 
Madre, mother 
Fratello, brother 
Monarca, monarch 
Fdggio, beech- tree 
Ciglio, eye 
Poeta, poet 
Dio, God 
Moglie, wife 
Didlogo, dialogue 
Spdccio, despatch 
Faticd, fatigue 
Se'ggio, seat 



Sorelta, sister 
Maestd, majesty 
Cdccia, chase 
Luogo, place 
Specchio, mirror 
Premio, reward 
Uomo, man 
Virtu, virtue 
Specie, species 
Greco, Greek 
Pendio, declivity 
Greggia, flock 
Calamdio, ink-stand 



OF ARTICLES. 



The definite article agrees with its noun in 
gender and number, and is expressed by il and 
lo for the masculine, and by la for the feminine. 



10 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 





Masc. 



II is used before a noun masculine, beginning 
with any consonant except s, followed by an- 
other consonant ; as il libro, the book ; i libri, the 
books. 

Lo is used before a noun masculine, beginning 
with s, followed by another consonant ; as lo 
stato, the state ; gli static the states. 

Lo is also used before a noun masculine, be- 
ginning with a vowel ; and then the o is cut off, 
and an apostrophe put in its place ; but the i of 
gli is only cut off before another i ; as Vonore, 
the honour ; gli onori, the honours ; Vimpronto, 
the stamp ; gVimpronti, the stamps. Gli is used 
before Dei, Gods ; as gli Dei, the Gods. 

La is used before feminine nouns, and the a is 
cut off before a vowel ; as la tdvola, the table ; 
le tcivole, the tables ; Vora, the hour ; le ore, the 
hours. 

When the articles are governed by the follow- 
ing prepositions, they are contracted thus : — 



Singular. 


Plural. 




II 


I 






the 


Del for di il 


Dei 


for 


di i 


of the 


Al a il 


Ai 




a i 


to the 


Dal da il 


Dai 




da i 


from the 


Nel in il 


Nei 




in i 


in the 


Col con il 


Coi 




con i 


with the 


Sul su il 


Sui 




su i 


on the 


Pel per il 


Pei 




per i 


for the 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



11 



Sing. 


Plur. 




Lo 




Gli 


the 


Dello for di lo 


Degli for de gli 


of the 


Alio 


a lo 


Agli a gli 


to the 


Dallo 


da lo 


Dagli da gli 


from the 


Nello 


in lo 


Negli in gli 


in the 


La 




Le 


the 


Delia for di la 


Delle for di le 


of the 


Alia 


a la 


Alle a le 


to the 


Dalla 


da la 


Dalle da le 


from the 


Nella 


in la 


Nelle m le 


in the 



The indefinite article a or an is expressed by 
uno masc, una fern. 

TJno drops the o before any consonant except 
s, followed by another consonant ; and una drops 
the a before a vowel ; as un uomo, a man ; uno 
stato, a state ; una gru, a crane ; urfentrata, an 
entrance. 

OF ADJECTIVES. 

Italian adjectives end either in o or e. 

Those in o change o into a for the feminine ; 
is dotto masc, dotta fern., learned. 

Those in e are alike in both genders ; as fedele, 
Lasc. and fern., faithful. 

In the formation of the plural, adjectives fol- 
low exactly the rules for nouns. 

OF COMPARISON. 



The comparative is formed by adding piu 



12 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



more, meno less, to the positive ; as piu dotto, 
more learned ; meno dotto, less learned. 

The superlative relative is formed by adding 
the articles to the comparative ; as il piu dotto, 
the most learned ; il meno dotto, the least learned. 

The superlative absolute is formed by chang- 
ing the final vowel of the adjective into issimo ; 
as dotto, learned ; dottissimo, most or very 
learned. 

The following adjectives are irregular in their 
comparison. 

Posit. Comparat. Superlat. 

Buono, good migliore, il migliore 

Cattivo, bad peggiore, il peggiore 

Grande, great maggiore, il maggiore 

Piccolo, little minore, il minore 

The three last are also compared regularly; 
as comparat., piii grande ; superlat., il piii grande, 
&c. 



OF AUGMENTATIVES AND DIMINUTIVES 






Nouns by changing their last vowel into oik 
become augmentatives, and are masculine what- 
ever may be their previous gender ; as cavallo 
horse ; cavallone, large horse ; donna, woman 
donnone, masc, large woman. 

Accio and accia, added to nouns, give an ide* 
of contempt ; as uomo, man ; omdccio, contempt! 
ble man ; casa, house ; casdccia, worthless house 

Nouns are formed into diminutives by chang 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



13 



ing the last vowel into mo, ina, ello, ella, etto, 
etta ; as fratello, brother ; fratellino, little brother ; 
sorella, sister ; sorellina, little sister ; co?itadina, 
country-woman ; contadinella, country girl ; uomo, 
man ; ometto, little man. 



OF NUMERALS. 



CARDINAL NUMBERS. 



1 uno 


23 ventitre 


2 due 


24 ventiquattro 


8 tre 


25 venticinque 


4 quattro 


26 ventisei 


5 cinque 


27 ventisette 


6 sei 


28 ventotto 


7 sette 


29 ventinove 


8 otto 


30 £renfa 


9 nove 


40 quaranta 


3 died 


50 cinquanta 


11 undid 


60 sessanta 


12 dodici 


70 settanta 


13 tredici 


80 ottanta 


14 quattordici 


90 novanta 


15 quindid 


100 cento 


16 secftci" 


200 dugento 


17 diciassette 


300 trecento 


18 didotto 


1000 ww'Zfe 


19 diciannove 


2000 cft/c meTa 


20 ?;ettfo' 


100,000 cento ?ra7a 


21 ventuno 


1,000,000 wn milione 


22 ventidne 


2,000,000 duemilioni 

B 



14 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



ORDINAL NUMBERS. 



1st primo 

2d secondo 

3d terzo 

4th quarto 

5 th quinto 

6th sesto 

7th settimo 

8th ottavo 

9th nono 
10th de'cirno 
1 lth undecimo or decimo 
primo 

12 th duodecimo or de- 

cimo secondo 

13 th de'cirno terzo 
14th decimo quarto 
15 th de'cirno quinto 



16 th decimo sesto 
17th decimo settimo 
18th de'cirno ottavo 
19th decimo nono 
20th ventesimo 
21st ventesimo primo 
or vige'simo primo 
30th trentesimo 
40th quarantesimo 
50th cinquantesimo 
60th sessantesirno 
70th settantesimo 
80th ottantesimo 
90th novantesimo 
100th centesimo 
1000th millesimo 



One and a, before hundred or thousand, are not 
expressed in Italian, nor is awe? in uniting num- 
bers ; as cento cavalli a hundred horses ; Vanno, 
mille-otto-cento-trenta-cinque, the year one thousand 
eight hundred and thirty five. 

The date of the month is expressed as follows : 
e'Z primo di Febbraro, the first of February ; & or 
aZZz awe aV Genndio, the second of January ; li or 
«Z# cinque di Giugno, the fifth of June ; and so 
on, using the cardinal numbers. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 15 



OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS. 

Personal pronouns have three cases, — the no- 
minative, dative, and accusative. 

1st Person Masculine and Feminine. 

Sing. Plur. 

Nom. ioj I noi, we 

Dat. mi, to me ci, to us 

Ace. me, mi, me noi, ci, us 

2d Person Masculine and Feminine. 

Sing. Plur. 

Nom. til, thou voi, you 

Dat. tij to thee vi, to you 

Ace. te, ti, thee voi, vi, you 

3d Person Masculine. 

Sing. Plur. 

Nom. egli, he e'glino, they 

Dat. gli, to him loro, to them 

Ace. lo, il, lux, him loro, li, git, them 

3d Person Feminine. 

Sing. Plur. 

Nom. ella, she elleno, they 

Dat. le, to her loro, to them 

Ace. lei, la, her loro, le, them 

Se, one's self, (no nominative). 

Sing. Plur. 

D. si, to himself, to herself, to itself se, to themselves 
A. se, si, himself, herself, itself se, si, themselves 



16 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

Remark 1. Mi, ci, ti, vi, gli, lo, il, li, le, la, 
and si, can be governed only by verbs : vi veggo, 
I see you ; ci conosce, he knows us ; gli parlo, I 
speak to him ; le parla, he speaks to her ; lo 
veggo, I see him, &c. 

2. Me, not, te, voi, lui, loro, lei, se, may be 
governed by verbs or prepositions ; to amo voi e 
lui, I love you and him ; dipendo da lui, I de- 
pend upon him ; fdtelo per not, do it for us ; egli 
andra via senza di voi, he will go away without 
you. 

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. 

The possessive pronouns are generally preceded 
by the articles. 

Sing. Plur. 

M. F. M. F. 

il mio, la mia ; i mid, le mie, my, mine 

il tuo, la tua ; i tuoi, le tue, thy, thine 

il suo, la sua ; i suoi, lesue, his, her, hers, its 

il nostro, la nostra; i nostri, le nostre, our, ours 

il vostro, la vostra, ; i vostri, le vostre, your, yours 

il loro, la loro ; i loro, le loro, their, theirs 

Remark 1. The possessive pronouns agree 
with the thing possessed, and not with the pos- 
sessor, and they must be repeated with each 
noun : dov'e il vostro libro ? where is your book f 
e nella mia camera, it is in my room ; ho perduto 
la sua Icttera, I have lost his or her letter ; i 
nostri amici non vengono oggi, our friends are not 
coming to-day ; che fanno i vostri fratelli e le 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 1 7 

vostre sorelle ? what are your brothers and sisters 
doing ? ddtene at vostri fanciuUi e at suoi, give 
some to your children and to his. 

2. The articles are omitted before the pos- 
sessives in the singular, loro excepted, Avhen they 
precede a noun of kindred or dignity, and when 
they are placed after the verb e'ssere, to be, 
not followed by a noun ; sua moglie e ammalata, 
his wife is unwell ; die fa vostro fratello f what is 
your brother doing ? la casa e mia, ma i campi 
sono suoi, the house is mine, but the fields are 
his, or hers ; sua Maesta e giunta, his Majesty has 
arrived ; il loro padre e morto, their father is 
dead. 

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS. 

Sing. Plur. 

% M. F. M. F. 

questo, a, this ; quests e, these 

cotestOj a, this, that; cotesti, e, these, those 

quello, a, that ; / • [ quelle, those 

Remark 1. Questo, this, denotes an object 
near the speaker ; cotesto, this, that, denotes an 
object near the party addressed; quello, that, 
points out one distant both from the speaker and 
the party addressed. 

Exceptions. Sia preso questo traditore, let this 
traitor be seized ; cotesto vestito vi va bene, this or 
that dress fits you well ; come elite vol coteste 



18 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

parole f how can you say those words ? dite voi 
che quella casa e vostra f do you say that house is 
yours ? 

2. Quello is used before s followed by a con- 
sonant ; quelV before a vowel ; quel before any 
other initial letter of a masculine noun ; quegli 
before an s followed by a consonant and before 
a vowel ; quel before a noun commencing other- 
wise. 

Ex. Quello specchio e suo, that looking-glass is 
his ; quell' dlbero e bellissimo, that tree is very 
beautiful ; Vho ricevuto da quel soldato, I received 
it from that soldier ; quegli uomini sono cattivi, 
those men are wicked ; quel libri sono di mio 
fratello, those books are my brother's ; avete 
veduto la mia casa e quella di mia sorella ? have 
you seen my house and that of my sister ? 
ddtemi questo temperino o quello, give me this pen- 
knife or that ; questi uomini sono soldati, these men 
are soldiers. 

3. Cib, this, that, signifying, this thing, that 
thing, is indeclinable and is used alone ; chi vi 
ha detto cib, or quello ? who told you that ? che 
vuol dir questo or cib? what does this mean ? 

RELATIVE PRONOUNS. 

Sing, and Plur. Masc. and Fern. 
N. che, who, which, that 
A. che, cut, whom, which, that 

Remark. The accusative che is governed by 
verbs, and cut by verbs or prepositions. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 19 

Examples. Uuomo che viene, the man who 
comes ; le donne che vengono, the women who are 
coming ; la donna che or cut vedo, the woman 
whom I see ; i fanciidli che or cut amo, the chil- 
dren whom I love ; le niele, che mangiate, non 
sono buone, the apples which you are eating are 
not good ; conosco Vnomo a cut parlavate, I know 
the man to whom you were speaking ; ecco i 
fanciidli di cui parlate, there are the children of 
whom you are speaking. 

Masc. Fern. 

« „ . (Sing, il quale, la quale,\ who, whom, 
\Plur. i quali, le quali, ) that, which 

Remark. The above pronoun may be governed 
by verbs or prepositions, and must agree with 
the noun to which it relates in gender and 
number. 

Example. Gli uomini i quali vengono, the men 
w r ho are coming ; le donne le quali impiegate, the 
women whom you employ ; ecco il cavcdlo il quale 
comprai, there is the horse w r hich I bought ; i 
libri del quali parlate, the books of which you are 
speaking. 

INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS. 

N. and A. chi 1 who ? whom f 

This pronoun may be governed by verbs and 
prepositions. Ex. chi vienef who is coming? di 

chi sono questi stivali ? whose boots are these ? a 



20 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

chi parlate ? to whom do you speak ? chi vedete f 
whom do you see ? 

Sing, and Plur. 

N. and A. die ? what ? 

This pronoun may be governed by verbs or 
prepositions, and may be joined to a noun. Ex. 
Che sento ? What do I hear? di die ti lagni? 
what do you complain of? die ti fa pidngere ? 
what makes you weep ? die libro avete letto f what 
book have you read ? die uomini f what men ? 
die bella donna ? what a fine woman ? 

Masc. and Fern. 

Sing. Plur. 

N. and A. quale? quali? what? which? 

Ex. Qual giorno e questo ? What day is this ? 
Ecco due libri; qual prenderb ? Here are two books ; 
which shall I take ? Quali leggi vi pdiono buone t 
Which laws appear good to you ? Con quale di 
quesle due spade V avete ferito ? With which of these 
two swords did you wound him ? 

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS. 

VARYING IN GENDER AND NUMBER. 

AlcunOj some, any. 

f The prepositions go- 
IJun ValtrOj one another, J verning this pro- 
each other. 1 noun are put only 



v^ 



before Valtro. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



21 



Uuno e Taltro, both 
Tuno o Taltro, either 
Ne Tuno ne Taltro neither 



The prepositions go- 
verning these pro- 
nouns must be put 
both before Tuno 
and before Valtro. 

Examples. — Ddtemi alcuni libri, give me some 
books. Ho veduto alcune donne, I saw some wo- 
men. Dopo alcuni giorni, some days afterwards. 
Sapete alcana novita f Do you know any news ? 
Parlerb ad alcuno dei vostrv, I shall speak to some 
one of your friends. Agiscono Tun contro Taltro, 
they act against one another. I due amici si ucci- 
sero Tun Taltro, the two friends slew each other. 
Prendete o Tuno o Taltro di questi due cavalli, take 
either of these tw r o horses. Par late o alVuno o 
alValtro, speak to either of them. Parlo delTuno 
e delValtro, I speak of both. Ecco pere e mele ; le 
une e le altre son buone, here are pears and apples, 
both are good. Non voglio ne le une ne le altre, 
I wish neither of them. 



USED IN THE SINGULAR ONLY. 

Ciascuno. } , •. . -. . 

' every one, each (joined to nouns, 



Ciascheduno, 
Ognuno, 

Qualcuno, 
Qualcheduno, 



or used alone.) 

some one, some body, (referring 
to a noun.) 



Nessuno, 



Niuno, 

Veruno, 

Nullo, 

Ne pur uno, not one. 



nobody, not any body, not any one, 
none. 



22 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Remark. — The negative pronouns require 
non when they follow, but not when they pre- 
cede the verb. 

Examples. — Cost detto, licenzib ciascuno, say- 
ing this, he dismissed every one. Ddtene a cias- 
cuna donna, give some to each woman. Ho vednto 
le vostre sorelle e ognuna e contenta di voi, I saw 
your sisters, and each is pleased with you. 0- 
gnuno lo loda, every one praises him. II chirurgo 
ha visitato i soldati e ne ha trovato qualcuno ferito, 
the surgeon visited the soldiers, and found some 
of them wounded. Prendete qualcuna di queste 
susine, take some of these plumes. Non vedete 
nessuno ? do you not see any one ? Non conosco 
memo, I know nobody. Veriin patto ottenne, he ob- 
tained no compact Ne pur uno venne, not one 
came. Non conosco ne pur una delle signore, I 
know not one of the ladies. 



VARYING IN NUMBER, THE MASCULINE AMD FEMININE 

BEING ALIKE. 

Sing. Plur. 

Qualsisia, qualsisiano, ) any whatever, what- 
Qualsivoglia, qualsivogliano, j soever. 

Tale, such. 

Examples. — E sicuro da qualsisia spada, he is 
safe from any sword whatever. Qualsivogliano 
iiomini, any men whatever, Tale fa la sua trista 
sorte, such was his unhappy lot. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 23 



INVARIABLE. 

Qualche, some. 
Ogni, each, every. 
Chiunque, whoever. 
Qualunque, whatever, whoever. 

Chi chi \ some others, some 

Altri altri, j some. 

Altrui, others, that which is another's, some body 
else. The prepositions di and a, governing altrui, 
may be omitted. 

Examples. — Ddtemi qualche libro, give me 
some books. Qualche volta, sometimes. Ogni 
soldato sara guiderdonato, every soldier shall be re- 
warded. Viene ogni giorno, he comes every day. 
Chiunque egli sia, whoever he may be. Qualun- 
que persona, any person whatever. Chi ride chi 
piange, some laugh, some cry. Altri legge, altri 
scrive, some read, others write. II denaro oVal- 
t?*ui, or V altrui denaro, or il denaro altrui other 
people's money. Ne manderb ad altrui, I shall 
send some to some body else. 

CONJUGATION OF THE AUXILIARY 

VERBS 

Avere, to have; fissere, to be, 

INFINTIVE. 

Avere, to have, Essere, to be. 



24 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



PARTICIPLE PRESENT. 

Avendo, having. Essendo, being. 

PARTICIPLE PAST. 

Avuto, had* Stato, been. 



INDICATIVE MOOD. 



PRESENT. 


Ho, / have 


Sono, / am 


Hai 


Sei 


Ha 


ft 


Abbiamo 


Siamo 


Avete 


Siete 


Hanno 


Sono 


IMPEB 


FECT. 


Aveva, I had 


Era, / was 


Avevi 


Eri 


Aveva 


Era 


Avevamo 


Eravamo 


Avevate 


Eravate 


Avevano 


firano 


PERI 


ECT. 


Ebbi, / had 


Fui, I was 


Avesti 


Fosti 


Ebbe 


Fu 


Avemmo 


Fummo 


Aveste 


Foste 


fibbero 


Fiirono 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



25 



FUTURE. 


I shall or will have 


I shall or will be 


Avro 


Saro 


Avrai 


Sarai 


Avra 


Sara 


Avremo 


Saremo 


Avrete 


Sarete 


Avranno 


Saranno 


conditio: 


s T AL MOOD. 


I might, could, would, 


1 might, could, would, 


or should have. 


or should be. 


Avrei 


Sarei 


Avresti 


Saresti 


Avrebbe 


Sarebbe 


Avremmo 


Saremmo 


Avreste 


Sareste 


Avrebbero 


Sarebbero 


1MPERATI 


VE MOOD. 


Abbi, have thou 


Sii, be thou 


Abbia, let him have 


Sia 


Abbiamo, Jet as have 


Siamo 


Abbiate, have you 


Siate 


Abbiano, let them have 


Siano 



SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. 

PRESENT. 

That I may or can have. That I may or can he. 



Che abbia 


Che sia 


abbia or abbi 


sia 




c 



2G 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD, ] 


present, continued. 


Che abbia 


Che sia 


abbiamo 


siamo 


abbiate 


si ate 


abbiano 


siano 


IMPERFECT. 


That I might, &c. have. 


That I might, &c. he 


Che avessi 


Che fossi 


avessi 


fossi 


avesse 


fosse 


avessimo 


fossi mo 


aveste 


foste 


avessero 


fossero 


COMPOUND TENSES OF 



Avere. 
Avere avuto, to have 

had 
Avendo avuto, having 

had 
Ho avuto, &c. I have 

had, §c. 
Aveva avuto, &c. / had 

had, §'C. 
Ebbi avuto, &c. / had 

had, §'C. 
Avrd avuto, &c. / shall 

have had, fyc. 
Avrei avuto, &c. I should 

have had, fyc. 



Essere. 
Essere stato, to have 

been 
Essendo stato, having 

been 
Sono stato, &c. / have 

been, <J-c. 
Era stato, &c. / had 

been, §c. 
Fui stato, &c. / had 

been, fyc. 
Saro stato, &c. / shall 

have been, §c. 
Sarei stato, &c.I shovld 

have been, 4°c. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 27 



Che abbia avuto, &c. 

that I may have had,fyc. 

Che avessi avuto, &c. 

that I might have had, fyc. 



Che sia stato, &c. that I 

may have been, fyc. 

Che fossi stato, &c. that 

I might have been, fyc. 



Stato in the compound tenses of e'ssere must 
agree with the nominative to the verb ; egli e 
stato, he has been ; ella e stata, she has been ; 
noi siamo stati or state, we have been. 

CONJUGATION OF REGULAR VERBS. 

There are three Conjugations, which are known 
by the termination of the infinitive. 

The First ) (are) r ,, . x . 

c. i , ] ( tor the termination of 
feecond > has -<ere> , . n .,. 

Third ) (ire) ^infinitive. 

INFINITIVE. 

Amare, to love Temere, to fear Servire, to serve 

PARTICIPLE PRESENT. 

Amando, loving Temendo, fearing 
Servendo, serving 

PARTICIPE PAST. 

Amato, loved Temuto, feared Servito, served 

INDICATIVE MOOD. 

PRESENT. 

I love, do love. I fear, do fear. I serve, do serve. 



Amo 
Ami 



Temo 
Temi 



Servo 
Servi 



28 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Ama 


Teme 


Serve 


Amiamo 


Temiamo 


Serviamo 


Amate 


Temete 


Servite 


Amano 


Temono 

IMPERFECT. 


Servono 


I loved, did love. 


I feared, did fear. 


[ served, did serve. 


Amava 


Temeva 


Serviva 


Amavi 


Temevi 


Servivi 


Amava 


Temeva 


Serviva 


Amavaino 


Temevamo 


Servivamo 


Amavate 


Temevate 


Servivate 


Amavano 


Temevano 

PERFECT. 


Servivano 


Amai, I loved 


Temei, I feared 


Servii, I served 


Amasti 


Temesti 


Servi sti 


Amo 


Teme 


Servi 


Amammo 


Tememmo 


Servimmo 


Amaste 


Temeste 


Serviste 


Amarono 


Temerono 

FUTURE. 


Servirono 


I shall or will love. I 


shall or will fear. 


[ shall or will serve. 


Amero 


Temero 


Serviro 


Amerai 


Temerai 


Servirai 


Amera 


Temera 


Servira 


Ameremo 


Temeremo 


Serviremo 


Amerete 


Temerete 


Servirete 


Ameranno 


Temeranno 


Serviranno 



ITALIAN GBA3IMAR. 



29 



CONDITIONAL MOOD. 



I might, could, 
would, should love. 

Amerei 

Ameresti 

Amerebbe 

Ameremmo 

Amereste 

Amerebbero 



I might, could, 
would, should fear. 

Temerei 

Temeresti 

Temerebbe 

Temeremmo 

Temereste 

Temerebbero 



I might, could, 
would, should serve, 

Servirei 

Serviresti 

Servirebbe 

Serviremmo 

Servireste 

Servirebbero 



IMPERATIVE MOOD. 



A ma, love thou 
Ami 
Amiamo 
A mate 
Amino 



Temi, fear thou 

Tema 

Temiamo 

Temete 

Temano 



Servi, serve thou 

Serva 

Serviamo 

Servite 

Servano 



SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. 





PRESENT. 




That I mav love. 

4 


That I may fear. 


That I may serve, 


Che ami 


Che tema 


Che serva 


ami 


tema 


serva 


ami 


tema 


serva 


amiamo 


temiamo 


serviamo 


annate 


temiate 


serviate 


amino 


temano 


servano 



30 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



That I might love. 

Che amassi 
amassi 
amasse 
amassimo 
amaste 
amassero 



IMPERFECT. 

That I might fear. 

Che temessi 
temessi 
temesse 
temessimo 
temeste 
temessero 



That I might serve. 

Che servissi 
servissi 
servisse 
servissi mo 
serviste 
servissero 



COMPOUND TENSES. 

Avere amato, temuto, servito, to have loved, 
feared, served. Avendo amato, temuto, servito, 
having loved, feared, served. Ho amato, temuto, 
servito, / have loved, feared, served. Aveva 
amato, temuto, servito, I had loved, feared, served. 
And in like manner with the other tenses. 

Observations. — 1. The negative ought al- 
ways to precede the verb. Non.amo, I do not 
love. Non temete ? do you not fear ? 

2. In verbs ending in ciare, sciare, glare, the i 
is dropped in the future and conditional ; cacciare, 
to chase ; caccerb, I shall chase ; lasciare, to leave ; 
lascerb, I shall leave ; mangiar?, to eat ; manger ei, 
I should eat. 

3. In those ending in care, gare, an h is to be 
supplied before eand/; cercare, to search; cer- 
chij thou searchest ; pagare, to pay ; paghero, I 
shall pay. 

4. Verbs in ere have the e before re sometimes 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 31 

long and sometimes short ; as teme're, to fear ; 
credere, to believe. 

I 5. Verbs in cire retain the i before o and u ; 
those in give suppress it ; cucire, to sew, cucio ; 
fuggire, to &ee,fuggo. 

The passive voice of Italian verbs is formed 
by adding the past participle to the verb e'ssere, 
which participle must agree with the nominative 
to the verb in gender and number ; as e'ssere am- 
ato, essendo amato, sono amato or amata, &c, and 
so on throughout the other tenses. 

IRREGULAR VERBS. 

FIRST CONJUGATION, 

Andare, to go, andando, andato. 

Ind. pr., vo or vado, vai, va j andiamo, andate, 
vanno. Imp., andava. Perf., andai. Fut., 
andro. Condit., andrei. Imperative, va, vada ; 
andiamo, andate, vadano. Subj. pi\, che vada, 
vada, vada, andiamo, andiate, vadano. Imp*, che 
andassi. 
This verb takes e'ssere in its compound tenses. 

Dare, to give, dan do, dato. 

Ind. pr., do, dai, da ; diamo, date, danno. 
Imp., dava. Perf., detti or diedi, desti, dette or 
diede ; demmo, deste, dettero or diedero. Fut., 
daro. Condit., darei. Imperat., da, dia; diamo, 
date, diano. Subj. pr., che dia, dia, dia; diamo, 
diate, diano. Imp., che dessi, dessi, desse ; 
dessimo, deste, dessero, 



Of 



2 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Fare, to do or make. Facendo, fat to. 

Ind. pr., fo, fai, fa ; facciamo, fate, fanno. 
Imp., faceva. Perf., feci, facesti, fece ; facemmo, 
faces te, fecero. Fut., faro. Conclit., farei. 
Imperat., fa, fiiccia ; facciamo, fate, facciano. 
Subj. pr., clie faccia, faccia, faccia ; facciamo, 
facciate, facciano. Imp., che facessi, facessi, 
facesse ; facessimo, faceste, faeessero. 

Stare, to stand, stando, stato. 

Ind. pr., sto, stai, sta ; stiamo, state, stanno. 
Imp., stava. Perf., stetti, stesti, stette ; stemmo, 
steste, stettero. Fut., staro. Condit., starei. 
Imperat., sta, stia ; stiamo, state, stiano. Subj. pr. 
che stia, stia, stia, stiamo, stiate, stiano. Imp., 
ehe stessi, stessi, stesse; stessimo, steste, stessero. 

SECOND CONJUGATION. 

When the perfect tense is irregular, the third 
person singular is formed by changing i of the 
first person into e $ and the third person plural 
is found by adding ro to the third person sin- 
gular. The three remaining persons are always 
formed from the infinitive as in regular verbs ; 
thus ; from chiesi, I asked, is formed chiese, he 
asked, and from chiese is formed chiesero, they 
asked. From chiedere to ask, are formed ckiedesti, 
thou didst ask, chiedemmo, we asked, and chiedeste, 
you asked. 

When an infinitive is contracted, we employ 
the primitive form in the formation of the three 
regular persons, thus : we form eondttcesti, con- 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. S3 



ducemmo, conduceste, from conduce?^, and not from 
the contraction condurre, to conduct. 

Condurre, to conduct, syncope of condiicere, con- 

ducendo, condotto. 

Ind. pr., conduco. Imp., conduceva. Perf., 
condussi. Fut., condurro. Condit., condurrei. 
Imperat., conduci. Subj. pr., che conduca. Imp. 
che conducessi. 

Bevere, to drink, contracted into beVe, bevendo, 

bevuto. 

Ind. pr., bevo. Imp., beveva. Perf., bevvi, 
bevei or bevetti. Fut., bevero. Condit., 
beverei. Imperat., bevi. Subj. pr., che beva. 
Imp., che bevessi. 

Cadere, to fall, cadendo, caduto, 

Ind. pr., cado. Imp., cadeva. Perf., caddi. 
Fut., cadero, or cadro. Condit., caderei or 
cadrei. Imperat., cadi. Subj. pr., che cada. 
Imp., che cadessi. 

This verb takes essere in its compound tenses. 

Chiedere, to ash, chiedendo, chiesto. 

Ind. pr., chiedo, or chieggo. Imp., chiedeva. 
Perf., chiesi. Fut., chiedero. Condit., chiederei. 
Imperat., chiedi. Subj. pr., che chieda, or 
chiegga. Imp., che chiedessi. 

Dire, to say, syncope o/'dicere, dicendo, detto. 
Ind. pr., dico, dici or di', dice ; diciamo, dite, 



34 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

dicono. Imp., diceva. Perf., dissi. Fut., diro, 
Condit., direi. Imperat., di', dica ; diciamo, 
dite, dicano. Subj. pr., che dica. Imp., che 
dicessi. 

Dolersi, to complain, dolendosi, dolutosi. 

Ind. pr., mi dolgo or doglio, ti duoli, si duole ; 
ci dogliamo, vi dolete, si dolgono, or dogliono. 
Imp., mi doleva. Perf., mi dolsi. Fut., mi 
dorro. Condit., mi dorrei. Imperat., duoliti, 
dolgasi or dogliasi ; dogliamoci, doletevi, dolgansi, 
or dogliansi. Subj. pr., che mi doglia. Imp., 
che mi dolessi. 

Remark. Reflected verbs take e'ssere in their 
compound tenses ; mi sono doluto, I have, com- 
plained ; si sono doluti, they have complained ; 
si era doluta, she had complained ; le sorelle si 
erano dolute> the sisters had complained. 

Dovere, to owe, dovendo, dovuto. 

Ind. pr., debbo or deggio, debbi or dei, debbe 
or dee ; dobbiamo, dovete, debbono or deggiono. 
Imp., doveva. Perf., dovei or dovetti. Fut., 
dovro. Condit., dovrei. Imperat., wanting. 
Subj. pr., che debba ; dobbiamo or deggiamo, 
dobbiate or deggiate, debbano or deggiano. 
Imp., che dovessi. 

Nuocere to km% nocendo, noeiuto. 

Ind. pr., nuoco or noccio, nuoci, nuoce ; 
nocciamo, nocete, nuocono. Imp., noceva. 
Perf., nocqui, nocesti. nocque; noceramo, noceste, 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 35 

nocquero. Fut., nocerd. Condit., nocerei. 
Imperat., nuoci, nuoccia, or noccia ; nocciamo, 
nocete, nocciano. Subj. pr., clie nuoccia or 
noccia. Imp., clie nocessi. 

Observation. — When, in a verb which con- 
tains the syllable uo, the accent passes to the fol- 
lowing vowel, the u must be taken away, thus : 
nuoco, nocciamo, nocete. 

Parere, to appear, parendo, paruto, and 

parso. 

Ind. pr., paio, pari, pare ; paiamo, parete ; 
paiono. Imp., pareva. Perf., parvi. Fut., 
parro. Condit., parrei. Imperat., pari, paia ; 
paiamo, parete, paiano. Subj. pr,, che paia. 
Imp., che paressi, 

Piacere, to please, piacendo, piaciuto. 

Ind. pr., piaccio, piaci, piace ; piacciamo, 
piacete, piacciono. Imp., piaceva, Perf., piac- 
qui. Fut., piacero. Condit., piacerei. Imperat., 
piaci, piaccia ; piacciamo, piacete, piacciano. 
Subj. pr., che piaccia. Imp., che piacessi. 

In like manner, conjugate gmcere 7 to lie down ; 
tacere, to be silent, 

Porre, to place, syncope of ponere, ponendo, 

posto. 

Ind. pr., pongo, poni, pone ; poniamo, ponete, 
pongono. Imp., poneva. Perf., posi. Fut., 
porro. Condit., porrei. Imperat., poni, ponga, 



36 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

poniamo, ponete, pongano. 8ubj. pr., die ponga. 
Imp., che ponessi. 

Potere, to be able, potendo, potuto. 

Ind., pr., posso, puoi, pub ; possiamo, potete. 
possono. Imp., poteva. Perf., potei. Fut., 
potro. Condit., potrei. Imperat., wanting. 
Subj. pr., che possa. Imperf., che potessi. 

Rimanere, to stay, rimanendo, rimaso, and 

rimasto. 

Ind. pr., rimango, rimani, rimane ; rimani- 
amo, rimanete, rimangono. Imp., rimaneva. 
Perf., rimasi. Fut., rimarro. Condit., rimar- 
rei. Imperat., rimani, rimanga ; rimaniamo, ri- 
manete, rimangano. Subj. pr., che rimanga. 
Imp., che rimanessi. 

Sapere, to know, sapendo, saputo. 

Ind., pr., so, sai, sa ; sappiamo, sapete, sanno. 
Imp., sapeva. Perf., seppi. Fut., sapro. Condit., 
saprei. Imperat., sappi, sappia ; sappiamo, sap- 
piate, sappiano. Subj. pr., che sappia. Imp., 
che sapessi. 

Scegliere, to choose, scegliendo, scelto. 

Ind. pr., scelgo or sceglio, scegli, sceglie ; sceg- 
gliamo, scegliete, scelgono or scegliono. Imp., 
sceglieva. Perf., scelsi. Fut., scegliero. Condit., 
sceglierei. Imperat., scegli, scelga or sceglia, 
&c. Subj. pr., che scelga or sceglia. Imp., che 
scegliessi. 






ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 37 

Observation. — Verbs ending in gliere, are 
often contracted in the infinitive ; as scerre from 
scegliere ; corre from cogliere, to gather. 

Sedere, to sit, sedendo, seduto. 

Ind. pr., siedo or seggo, siedi, siede ; sediamo 
or seggiamo, sedete, siedono or seggono. Imp., 
sedeva. Perf., sedei. Fut., sedero. Condit., 
sederei. Imperat., siedi, sieda or segga, &c. 
Subj. pr., che sieda or segga. Imp., che sedessi. 

Suadere, to persuade, suadendo, suaso. 

Ind. pr., suado. Imp., suadeva. Perf., suasi. 
Fut., suadero. Condit., suaderei. Imperat., 
suacli. Subj. pr., che suada. Imp., che sua- 
dessi. 

Sveilere, to pluck out, svellendo, svelto. 

Ind. pr., svelgo or svello, svelli, svelle or sveglie ; 
svelliamo, svellete, svellono or svelgono. Imp., 
svelleva. Perf., svelsi. Fut., svellero. Condit., 
svellerei. Imperat., svelli, svella or svelga, &c. 
Subj. pr., che svella or svelga. Imperat., che 
svellessi. 

Tenere, to hold, tenendo, tenuto. 

Ind. pr., tengo, tieni, tiene ; teniamo, tenete, 
tengono. Imp., teneva. Perf., tenni. Fut., 
terro. Condit., terrei. Imperat., tieni, tenga, 
&c. Subj. pr., che tenga. Imp., che tenessi. 

D 



38 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

Traere or trarre, to draw, traendo, tratto. 

Ind. pr., traggo, trai, trae ; traiamo or trag- 
giamo, traete, traggono. Imp., traeva. Perf., 
trassi. Fut., trarro. Condit., trarrei. Imperat., 
trai, tragga, &c. Subj. pr., che tragga. Imp., 
che traessi. 

Yalere, to be worth, valendo, valuto. 

Ind., pr., valgo or vaglio, vali, vale ; vagli- 
amo, valete, valgono or vagliono. Imp., valeva. 
Perf., valsi. Fut., varrb. Condit., varrei. 
Imperat., vali, valga or vaglia, &c. Subj. pr., 
che valga or vaglia. Imp., che valessi. 

Yedere, to see, vedendo, veduto. . 

Ind., pr., vedo, veggo or veggio, vedi, vede ; 
vediamo or veggiamo, vedete, vedono, veggono 
or veggiono. Imp., vedeva. Perf., vidi. Fut., 
vedro. Condit., vedrei. Imperat., vedi, veda 
or vegga, or veggia, &c. Subj. pr., che veda or 
vegga, or veggia. Imp., che vedessi. 

Volere, to be willing, volendo, voluto. 

Ind., pr., voglio or vo', vuoi, vuole or vub ; 
vogliamo, volete, vogliono. Imp., voleva. Perf., 
volli. Fut., vorro. Condit., vorrei. Subj. pr., 
che voglia. Imp., che volessi. 

When a verb in ere is irregular, and is not 
found among the preceding irregular verbs, it, or 
one of the same termination, will be found in the 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



39 



following table of verbs, which have only the 
•perfect indicative, and participle past, irregular. 

Example. — Suppose it were required to know 
the perfect indicative, and participle past of pren- 
dere, to take ; w r hich is not among the preceding 
irregular verbs, and as it is not to be found in 
the following table, look for a verb of the same 
termination, viz., ndere and accendere, will be 
found ; therefore the perf. is presi, like accesi, 
and the part. past, is preso, like acceso. 

TABLE OF VERBS, IRREGULAR IN THE 
PERFECT INDICATIVE AND PARTICIPLE 
PAST. 



Infinitive. 


Perfect. 


Part. past. 


Acce-ndere, Q) to kindle 


acce-sz 


acce-50 


AccoY-gere, ( 2 ) to perceive 
Asso-lvere, ( 3 ) to absolve 


accor-s* 
asso-Zse 


accor-fo 
asso-lto 


C6-gliere, to gather 


co-lsi 


co-lto 


Cono-scere, ( 4 ) to know 


cono-bbi 


cono-sciuto 


Cor '-r 'ere, to run 


cor-si 


COY-SO 


Di&cu-tere, to discuss 


discu-552 


discu-sso 


Distin-guere, to distinguish 


distin-S2 


distin-fo 


Distr-uggere, to destroy 
Esp-e7fore, to expel 


distr-wss2 
esip-ulsi 


distY-utto 
esp-w&o 


Espr-zmer^, to express 
Yvi-ggere, to fry 
Jj-eggere, to read 


espr-essf 

fci-ssi 

l-essi 


espr-esso 

fri-fto 

l-etto 


M-ettere, ( 5 ) to put 


m-isi 


m-esso 



40 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Infinitive. 


Perfect. 


Part. past. 


'M.-uovere, to move 


m-ossi 


m-osso 


Yerc-uotere, to strike 


peYC-ossi 


peYc-osso 


Yv-emere, to press 


pr-es&i 


pY-esso 


Pres- umere, to presume 


pres-wns/ 


pres-unto 


"R-ompere, to break 


r-uppi 


Y-OttO 


Scr-ivere, ( 6 ) to write 


scY-issi 


SCY-ittO 


Spe-#/iere, to extinguish 


spe-nsi 


spe-?ifo 


Spi-ngere, ( 7 ) to push 


spi-nsi 


spi-nto 


Tor-cere, ( 8 ) to twist 


tor-st 


tOY-tO 


JJcci-dere, ( 9 ) to kill 


ucci-st 


ucci-so 


EXCEPTIONS. 




Infinitive. 


Perfect. 


Part. past. 


1 . Fondere, to melt 


fusi 


fuso 


Nascondere, to conceal 


nascosi 


(nascoso & 
(nascosto 


Rispondere, to reply 


risposi 


risposto 


Scindere, to cut 


scinsi 


scinto 


2. Dirigere, to direct 


diressi 


diretto 


Esigere, to exact 


esigei 


esatto 


Negligere, to neglect 


neglessi 


negletto 


3. Solvere, to untie 


solvei 


soluto 


4. Nascere, to be born 


nacqui ' 


nato 


5. Flettere, to bend 


flessi 


flesso 


/> TT ? 7 • 


• • 


(vivuto and 
(vissuto 


6. Vivere, to live 


V1SS1 


7. Stringere, to press 


s trin si 


stretto 


8. Ciiocere, to boil 


cossi 


cotto 


9. Cedere, to yield 


cessi 


ceduto 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 41 



THIRD CONJUGATION. 



Morire, to die, morendo, morto. 



Ind. pr., muoio, muori, muore ; moiamo, mo- 
rite, muoiono. Imp., moriva. Perf., morii. 
Fut., morro. Condit., morrei. Imperat., muori, 
muoia ; moiamo, morite, muoiano. Subj. pr., 
che muoia. Imp., che morissi. 

This verb takes e'ssere in its compound tenses. 

Salire, to mount, salendo, salito. 

Ind. pr., salgo, sali, sale ; sagliamo, salite, sal- 
gono. Imp., saliva. Perf., salii. Fut., saliro. 
Condit., salirei. Imperat., sali, saiga ; sagliamo, 
salite, salgano. Subj. pr., che saiga. Imp., 
che salissi. 

Seguire, to follow, seguendo, seguito. 

Ind., pr., seguo or sieguo, segui or siegui, segue 
or siegue ; seguiamo, seguite, seguono or siegu- 
ono. Imp., seguiva* Perf., seguii. Fut., se- 
guiro. Condit., seguirei. Imperat., segui or 
siegui, segua or siegua ; seguiamo, seguite, segu- 
ano or sieguano. Subj. pr., che segua or siegua. 
Imp., che seguissi. 

Udire, to hear, udendo, udito. 

Ind. pr., odo, odi, ode ; udiamo, udite, odono. 
Imp., udiva. Perf., udii. Fut., udiro. Condit., 



42 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

udirei. Imperat., odi, oda ; udiamo, udite, 
odano. Subj. pr., die oda, oda, oda; udiamo, 
udiate, odano. Imp., die udissi. 




Yenire, to come, venendo, venuto. 

Ind. pr., vengo, vieni, viene ; veniamo, venite, 
vengono. Imp., veniva. Perf., venni. Fut., 
verro. Condit., verrei. Imperat., vieni, venga ; 
veniamo, venite, vengano. Subj. pr., che venga. 
Imp., che venissi. 

This verb takes essere in its compound tense. 

The irregular verbs of the third conjugation 
are very few. The others, for the most part, are 
irregular only in the present of the indicative, in 
the imperative, and in the present of the subjunc- 
tive. The first and second persons plural of 
each being excepted ; as, 

Unire, to unite, unendo, unito. 

Ind. pr., unisco, unisci, unisce ; wniamo, unite, 
uniscono. Imperat., unisci, unisca ; uniamo, 
unite, uniscano. Subj. pr., che unisca, unisca, 
unisca ; uniamo, uniate, uniscano, 

Apparire, to appear, has appare and appariscc, 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 43 

he appears ; appaiono and appariscono, they ap- 
pear. 

Aprire, to open ; coprire, to cover ; scoprire, to 
discover ; have aprii or apersi, I opened ; aperto, 
opened. 

Some verbs of this conjugation have two 
forms in their present tenses ; such as avvertire, 
to ivarn, which makes avverto and avvertisco, / 
warn. 

DEFECTIVE VERBS. 

Gire, to go, — , gito. 

Ind. pr., — , — , — ; — , gite, — . Imp., giva 
or gia, givi, giva, or gia ; givamo, givate, givano or 
giano. Perf., — , gisti, gi or gio ; gimmo, giste, 
girono. Fut., giro, — , gira, &c. Condit., girei, 
&c. Imperat., — , — ; — , gite ? — . Subj. pr., 
wanting. Imp., che gissi, &c. 

Ire, to goj — , ito. 

Ind., pr., — , — , — ; — , ite, — . Imp., — 7 
— , iva ; — , — , ivano. Fut., — , — , — ; iremo, 
irete, iranno. Imperat., — , — ; — , ite, — . 

Riedere, to return, — , — . 

Ind. pr., — , riedi, riede; rest wanting. 
Imperat., — , — ; — , — , riedano. 

Olire, to he perf timed, — , — . 
Ind. imp., oliva, olivi, oliva ; — , — , olivano. 



44 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

Calere, to care, — , caluto, (impersonal verb.) 

Ind. pr., mi cale, / care, ti cale, gli cale ; ci 
cale, vi cale, cale a loro. Imp., mi caleva, ti 
caleva, gli caleva, &c. Perf., mi calse, ti calse, 
&c. Imperat., non ti caglia, do not care; non 
gli caglia, let him not care, &c. 



ADVERBS. 

Adverbs ending in mente are formed by ad- 
ding the adjective to the word mente, which ori- 
ginally signified manner; as this word is femi- 
nine, the adjective takes the termination of that 
gender ; as cdtiero, proud ; altieramente, proudly. 

As adjectives ending in e are alike in both 
genders, no change takes place when they are 
j oined to mente ; as forte, strong ; fortemente, 
strongly. 

If the adjective ends in le or re, the e is omit- 
ted ; as facile, easy ; facilmente, easily ; particolare, 
particular ; particolarmente, particularly. 

Adverbs are compared like adjectives, with 
this difference, that the article il is invariable. 

Positive. Comparative. Superlative. 

Fedelmente, piii fedelmente, il piu fedelmente, 
faithfully, more faithfully, most faithfully. 

The following adverbs are compared irregu- 
larly : — 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



45 



Positive. 


Comparative. 


Superlative. 


Bene, 


meglio, 


il me'glio. 


well, 


better, 


best. 


Male, 


peggio, 


il pe'ggio. 


badly, 


worse, 


worst. 


Poco, 


meno, 


il meno. 


little, 


less, 


least. 



LIST OF ADVERBS AND ADVERBIAL EXPRESSIONS* 



Adagio, 

sloivly. 

Adesso, 

7101V. 

Affatto, 

quite. 

Allora, 

then. 

Almeno, 

at least. 

Alquanto, 

somewhat. 

Altrove, 

elsewhere. 

Anche, 

also. 

Ancora, 

yet. ^ 

Anzi, 

rather. 

Appena, 

scarcely. 



Andate adagio, 

go sloivly. 

Fatelo adesso, 

do it now. 

J& affatto cangiato, 

he is quite changed. 

Aveva allora vent'anni, 

he was then twenty. 

Datemene almeno, 

give me some at least. 

Sto alquanto meglio, 

/ am somewhat better. 

Andiamo altrove, 

let us go elsewhere. 

Vi sono stato anche, 

I have also been there. 

Non e ancora venuto, 

he has not come yet. 

Anzi perderei tutto, 

J would rather lose all. 

Appena vi capisco, 

/ scarcely comprehend you, 



46 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Appunto, 
exactly, 

Appieno, 

fully. 

A bell'agio, 

at leisure. 

A voce, 1 by word 

A bocca, / of mouth. 

A bello studio, 

on purpose. 

A dritta, or, a des- 

tra, to, on the right. 

A sinistra, or, aman- 

ca, to, on the left. 

Assai, 

very, sufficiently. 

Bene, 

well. 

Bel bello, 

softly. 

Ci, 

here. 

Cola, 

thither. 

Come, 

how, as, 

Cosi, 

so, thus. 

Costa, 

there. 

Costi, 

there. 



Mi trovava appunto dirim- 

petto air uscio, / was exactly 

opposite the door. 

Sono appieno soddisfatto, 

I am fully satisfied. 

Faremo questo a bell'agio, 

we shall do this at leisure. 

Melo disse a voce, he told 

me so by word of mouth. 

Lo disse a bello studio, 

he said so on pxuyose. 

E nella prima casa a destra, 

she is in the first house on the 

right. 

Andate a manca, 

go to the left. 

Yenite assai per tempo, 

come very early. 

State bene ? 

are you well ? 

Andate bel bello in questo ne- 

gozio, go softly in this affair. 

Che ci si fa ? 

what are they doing here ? 

Andate cola? 

are you going thither ? 

Come state ? 

how do you do ? 

Egli mi disse cosi, 

he told me so. 

Che fate costa ? 

what are you doing there ? 

Vi vedro costi, 

/ shall see you there. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



47 



D'allora in qua, 

since. 

Da per tutto, 

everywhere. 

Da qui innanzi, 

for the future. 

Di buon grado, 

willingly. 

Domani, 

to-morrow. 

Dove, 

where, whither. 

Finora, 

till now, 

Forse, 

perhaps. 



in a 

short 

time. 



Frapoco, "] 

Fra breve, 

Fra non 

molto, 

Gia, 

already. 

Giu, 

below. 

Indi, 

thence. 

Insieme, 

together. 

Intanto, 

in the meantime. 

Ivi, 

there. 

Mai, ever, (with non. 

never.) 



Non si e riavuto d'allora in 
qua, he has not recovered since. 
Ne troverete da per tutto, 
you will find some everywhere. 
Da qui innanzi saro severo, 
/ will be severe for the future. 
Yelo do di buon grado, 
/ give it you willingly. 
Ditegli che venga domani, 
tell him to come to-morrow. 
Dove andate ? 
ivhither are you going ? 
Che ha egli fatto finora? 
what has he done till now ? 
Forse vi vedro stasera, per- 
haps I shall see you this even- 
ing. 

Vi seguiro fra non molto, 
/ shall follow you in a short 

time. 

Sono gia tre ore, 

it is already three o'clock, 

Andiamo giu, 

let us go below. 

Non uscite indi, 

do not go out thence. 

Vi andremo insieme, 

we shall go there together. 

Che faremo intanto ? What 

shall we do in the meantime ? 

Vi menero ivi, 

I will take you there. 

Non gli parlero mai, 

/ will never speak to him. 



48 



ITALIAN G1JAMMAR. 



Meglio, 




Scrivete meglio di me, 


better. 




you write better than I. 


Meno, 




Paiiate meno, 


less. 




speak less. 


Molto, 1 


nach, a great 


Ha molto fatto, 


deal. 




he has done a great deal. 


Non, 




Non fate cid, 


not. 




don't do that. 


No, 




L'avete veduto ? 


no. 




did you see it ? No, no. 


Oggi, 




E giunto oggi, 


to-day. 




he arrived to-day. 


Onde, 




Onde venite ? 


whence. 




Whence do you come. ? 


Ora, 




Che fareste ora? 


now. 




What should you do now ? 


O^e, 




Ove sta di casa ? 


whither? 


where. 


Where does he dwell ? 


Prima, 




Vorrei prima morire, I would 


first, rather. 


rather die. Chi arrivo prima ? 






Who arrived first ? 


Peggio, 




Egli impara peggio di lei, 


worse. 




he learns vjorse than she. 


Piu, 




Non ne parlate piu, 


more. 




speak no more about it. 


Poi, 




Poi sene ando, 


then. 




he then went away. 


Poscia, 




Ci rivedremo poscia, ice 


afterwai 


'ds. 


shall see each other again 
afterwards. 


Poco, 




Sene parla poco, 


little. 




they say little about it. 


Qua, 




Venite qua, 


hither. 




come hither. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



49 



Qui, 

here. 

Quando, 

when. 

Quanto, how much, 

how many. 

Quasi, 

as if almost. 

Quindi, 
thence. 
Sempre, 
always. 

Si, 

yes. 

Si, 

so. 

Sovente, j offm 

hpesso, J J 

Siibito, 

soon, immediately. 

Tanto, so much, so 

many. 

Tardi, 

late. 

Tosto, 

soon. 

Troppo, too much, 

too many. 

vv 

there. 

Volentieri, 

willingly. 



Sono qui, 

I am here. 

Quando gli scriverete ? 

when tvill you write to him ? 

Quanto ne avete ? 

Hoiv much have you ? 

Quasi volesse altro dire, 

as if he ivould say something 

else. 

Egli e partito quindi, 

he has departed from thence. 

Sempre mi ricordero di voi, 

/ will always remember you. 

Si ; egli e giunto, 

yes ; he has arrived. 

E si forte, . 

he is so strong. 

Li vedo sovente, 

I often see them. 

Partiremo subito, 

we shall depart immediately. 

Non ne ho tanto, 

I have not so much. 

Si fa tardi, 

it grows late. 

Non venite mai tosto, 

you never come soon. 

Yene ho troppo dato, / have 

given you too much of it. 

Che vi si fa ? 

What are they doing there ? 

Lo faro volentieri, 

i" will do it willingly. 



50 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



PREPOSITIONS. 

Some prepositions are followed by the prepo- 
sitions a, di, da. The prepositions between the 
parentheses in the following list, are those which 
are to be used with the word preceding them ; 
that which is first, is the more usual. The o 
denotes that no second preposition is used after 
the first. 



LIST OF CHIEF PREPOSITIONS. 



A, to, at, (be- 
comes ad before 
cfc vowel.) 
Accanto, (a,) 

beside, near. 

Addosso, (a,) 
on, about. 

Appetto,(a, di,) 
over, against, 
opposite. 
Appie, (di,) 
at the foot. 
Appo, (o, di, 
a,) with, near, 
by. 

Appresso, 
(a, di, o,) near. 
Attorn o, (a,) 
about, around. 



Mio fratello va a Parigi, 
my brother is going to Paris. 

Stava leggendo accanto al maes- 
tro, he was reading near the mas- 
ter. 

Avete denari addosso ? (a voi is 
understood,) have you any money 
on you ? 

Edificaron una batteria appetto 
al campo, they built a battery over 
against the camp. 
Stava appie del letto, he teas 
standing at the foot of the bed. 
Egli rimaneva ambasciadore 
appo lui, he remained ambassador 
with him. 

Egli mi sta appresso (mi for a 
me,) he stays near me. 
Siete sempre attorno a loro, 
you are alivays about them. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



51 



Avanti, (a, o, 
di,) before. 
Circa, (o, a, di) 
about, concern- 
ing. 

Con, 

with. 

Contra,) ( 

ControJ ^ 5 °' 

a,) against. 

Da, 

by, from. 

Dallato, (a,) 

by the side, near. 

Datiorno, (a,) 

around. 

Davanti, (a, o,) 

before, in the 
presence of. 
Dentro, (a, o, 
di, da,) within, 
into, in. 

Di, 

of with. 
Dietro, (a, o,) 
behind. 

Dinanzi, (a, o, 
da,) before, in 
presence of. 
Dirimpetto, 
(a,) opposite* 
Fino, (a,) 
till, until, as far 
as. 



II prete era avanti all' ara, 
the priest was before the altar. 
Sono circa dieci anni, 
it is about ten years ago. 

Venite con noi, 

come with us. 

Che dice egli contro di noi? 

what does he say against us ? 

H fratello e amato da tutti, 
the brother is beloved by all. 
Eravamo dallato alia sposa, 
we were by the side of the wife. 
La campagna dattorno a Firenze e 
bella, the country around Florence 
is beautiful. 

Confesso il suo delitto davanti al 
giiidice, he confessed his crime be- 
fore the judge. 

Dentro al mio petto risona una 
voce, a voice resounds within my 
bosom. 

Non ho bisogno di voi, 
I have no need of you. 
Lo vedo dietro a quell 'albero, 
I see him behind that tree. 
Dinanzi a tutti glielo diro, 
/ will tell him of it before them all. 

Eccolo dirimpetto a quella casa, 
there it is opposite to that house. 
Divertiamoci cosi fino alia sera, 
let us amuse ourselves thus till even- 
ing. 



52 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Fra, within, in, 
among. 

Fuori, (di, o,) 
out, without, be- 
sides. 

? n >. 

in, into, at. 
Infiiio, and in- 
sino, (a, o,) till, 
as far as. 
Innanzi, (a, o,) 
before, in the 
presence of. 

Intorno, (a,) 
round about. 
Lontano, (da, 
a,) far 

Lungo, (o, a, 
di,) along, by. 

Oltre, (a, o,) 
beyond. 

Per, 

by, for. 

Presso, (a, di, 
o,) near. 
Prima, (di,) 
first, before. 
Secondo, 
according to, 
Senza, (o, di,) 
without. 



Ritornero fra pochi giorni, 
I will return in a few days. 
Fuori di questa assemblea, pol- 
troni, out of this meeting ye cow- 
ards. 

Egli non e in casa, 
he is not at home. 
Andremo infino a Roma, 
we shall go as far as Rome. 

Elisabetta prostrossi innanzi alia 
eroce, Elisabeth prostrated herself 
before the cross. 

Li vedo sempre intorno a lui, 
/ see them always about him. 
Sua moglie non era lontano dalP 
uscio, his wife was not far from the 
door. 

Passeggiava solitario lungo lAr- 
no, I was ivalhing alone by the 
Arno. 

Riusci oltre alia mia speranza, 
it succeeded beyond my expecta- 
tion. 

Per piii giorni dimoro quivi, 
he remained there for many days. 
La vedrete presso alia torre, 
you will see her near the tower. 
Sono giunto prima di voi, 
/ arrived before you. 
Secondo quello die dice, 
according to what he says. 
Andiamo senza lui, 
let us qo without him. 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



53 



Sino, 

as far as, till. 

Sopra, (di, a, 
o,) on, upon. 
Sotto, (di, a, 
o,) under. 

Su, 

on, upon. 
Verso, (o, di, 
a,) to, towards. 

Vicino, (a, di,) 
near. 



Non voglio vedervi sino a quel 

tempo, / do not wish to see you till 

that time. 

Questi mali piomberanno sopra 

di noi, these evils ivillfall upon us. 

Troverete il libro sotto della se- 

dia, you will find the book under 

the chair. 

Che fa egli sul tetto ? 

what is he doing upon the roofl 

Chi e colui che viene verso noi ? 

who is that man coming towards 

usl 

Ho una capannella vicino al mare, 
/ have a little cottage near the sea. 



CONJUNCTIONS. 



THE FOLLOWING ARE THE PRINCIPAL CONJUNCTIONS. 



Benche, although 
Che, than, that 
Come, how, as 
E, and 
Finche, till 
Ma, but 
Mentre, whilst 
Ne, neither, nor 



O, either, or 
Perche, because, for 
Per6, however, yet 
Poiche, since 
Purche, provided that 
Sebbene, though 
Se, if, whether 



INTERJECTIONS. 



Ah ! ah ! 
Ahi! ah! 



Ahime ! cdas ! 
Deh! ha! 



54 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Doh! oh! 

Eh! ah! 

Oh! oh! 

Oibo ! fy ! 

Oime ! alas ! 

Buono ! right ! 

Bravo ! ) , 

-o . y bravo ! 

Brava ! 



Guai ! ivoe ! 
Ola ! oh I there ! 
Orsu ! come on ! 
Su ! come on ! 
Via ! go, away ! 
Viva ! huzza ! 
Animo ! courage ! 
Zitto ! silence ! 



A SHORT TREATISE ON SYNTAX. 

ON THE ARTICLE. 

Rule 1. — The article is used with nouns 
taken in a general or individual sense, and must 
be repeated with each : as gli uomini sono mortali, 
men are mortal ; veggo Vuomo, I see the man. 

2. The names of countries and provinces re- 
quire the article : as V Inghilterra e unpaese ricliis- 
siniO) England is a very rich country ; andiamo 
alia Cina, we are going to China. 

Exceptions. — The article is not used with 
countries in Europe when preceded by verbs of 
residence or motion, nor when they qualify a 
noun : as egli e in Irlanda, he is in Ireland ; vengo 
da Italia, I come from Italy ; vado in Polonia, 
I am going to Poland ; il re di Fr&ncia, the 
king of France. 

3. Titles followed by proper nouns and proper 
names, qualified by an adjective, require the ar- 
ticle : as, il re Guglielmo, king William ; il Si- 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 55 

gnor Gidcomo, Mr. James ; il piccolo Pieiro, little 
Peter. 

4. The article is not used before nouns in ap- 
position, nor in the enumeration of princes : as, 
Giovanni, figlio del Signor Leonelli, John, the son 
of Mr. Leonelli ; Carlo sesto, Charles the sixth. 

5. Nouns used partitively are preceded by 
del, dello, delta, clei, degli, delle, when we mean a 
certain portion of the thing designated by the 
noun : as, dcitemi del vino, give me some wine ; 
volete del pane ? do you wish any bread ? (that is, 
a portion of the loaf.) 

6. If nouns used partitively be employed in 
an unlimited sense, or to point out the species, 
then del, dello, della, dei, degli, delle, are suppressed : 
as, vende pane, he sells bread, qiielli die vedete sono 
soldati, those whom you see are soldiers ; non 
manger a came, he will eat no meat. 

7. A and an signifying per or each, before 
nouns of weight, measure, and number, are ex- 
pressed by the definite article : as, vende il vino 
died soldi la bottiglia, he sells wine at tenpence 
a bottle ; si vende il panno cinque scudi la carina, 
cloth sells at five crowns an ell. 

8. A and an are not expressed when we indi- 
cate a person's country, title, profession, or trade : 
as, ilfratello e Inglese, the brother is an English- 
man ; io sono medico, I am a physician ; ella era 
principessa, she was a princess. 

9. A and an are not expressed before nouns in 
apposition, or which serve to explain one that 
precedes ; as, il Signor N., capitano di marina, Mr. 



56 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

N., a captain in the navy ; il Twinge, bel fiume r 
the Thames, a beautiful river. 

OF NOUNS. 

10. English compound nouns have the princi- 
pal noun placed last ; but, in Italian, it is placed 
first, and is joined to the qualifying noun by di, 
when the latter designates the matter, quality, or 
country of the former : asra oriuolo oVoro, a gold 
watch ; un maestro di scuola, a school-master : 
vendete vino di Madeira ? do you sell Madeira 
wine? 

11. The principal noun is united to the quali- 
fying noun by da, when the latter denotes the 
use or object of the former ; or serves to point 
out some distinction : as, una bottiglia da vino, a 
wine-bottle ; carta da scrivere, writing paper ; la 
fanciulla dagli ocelli neri, the child with the dark 
eyes. 

12. Such expressions as the house-door, and 
the English possessive case, the boy's, William's, 
must be turned, the door of the house, of the boy, 
of William, as, Vuscio delta casa, the house-door ; 
il libro del fanciullo, the boy's book ; il padre di 
Gnglielmo, William's father. 

OF ADJECTIVES. 

13. An adjective agrees with its noun in 
gender and number : as. il padre e ricco, the 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 57 

father is rich ; la madre e ricca, the mother is 
rich ; t figli sono attenti, the sons are attentive ; 
lefiglie so7io attente, the daughters are attentive. 

14. An adjective qualifying several nouns, 
and separated from them by a verb, is put in 
the masculine plural, if they are all masculine or 
of different genders, and in the feminine plural if 
they are all feminine ; but if no verb intervene, 
the adjective may agree with the last noun : as, 
il padre ed il figlio sono contenii, the father and 
son are pleased ; la sorella ed il fratello sono belli, 
the sister and brother are handsome ; la madre e 
lafiglia sono industriose, the mother and daughter 
are industrious ; Tor a ed il luogo opportune, the 
proper time and place. 

15. Bello handsome, buono good, piccolo little, 
grande great, catiivo bad, primo first, &c, ultima 
last, molto many, &c, are generally placed be- 
fore the nouns they qualify : as, un bubn re, a 
good king ; un gran sacrificio, a great sacrifice ; 
V ultima volta, the last time. 

Observation. Bello, buono, are contracted 
into bel, buon, before masculine nouns singular 
beginning with any consonant except s, followed 
by another consonant ; grande is contracted into 
gran before a noun, either masculine or feminine, 
singular or plural, except before s followed by 
another consonant. 

1 6. Adjectives of shape, colour, taste, matter, 
country, and verbal adjectives, are placed after 
their nouns : as, una tdvola rotonda, a round 
table ; un prato verde, a green meadow ; un libro 



58 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



Inglese, an English book ; una donna riconoscente, 
a grateful woman. 

17. Than, when followed by a noun or pro- 
noun, is expressed by di : as, siete piii ricco di me, 
you are richer than I ; la Jigliuola e piii diligente 
del figliuolo, the daughter is more diligent than 
the son. 

18. Than, is expressed by che between two 
adjectives, two adverbs, two verbs in the infi- 
nitive, and before a preposition : as, e piii dotto 
che prudente, he is more learned than prudent ; e 
meno contento oggi che ieri, he is less pleased to- 
day than yesterday ; e meglio parlare che tacere, 
it is better to speak than to be silent ; era piii 
stimato in Londra che in Parigi, he was more 
esteemed in London than in Paris. 

19. Than, followed by a verb in the indicative, 
is expressed by che non, or by di quello che ; as, 
spende piii che non guadagna, or spende piii di quello 
che guadagna, he spends more than he gains. 

20. In, after a superlative, is expressed by di : 
as, Vuomo piii contento di questo mondo, the most 
contented man in this world ; la donna piii bella 
della citta, the handsomest woman in the town. 

OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS. 



21. Personal pronouns governed by a verb 
are generally placed before it in the simple 
tenses, and before the auxiliary verb in the com- 
pound tenses, and they must be repeated with 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 59 

each verb ; in this case, we employ for the ac- 
cusative, mi, ci, ti, vi, si, lo, li or gli, la, le, and 
for the dative mi, ci, ti, vi, si, gli, le loro : as, mi 
stima e mi ama, he esteems and loves me ; gli ho 
parlato, I have spoken to him. 

22. The above mentioned pronouns may be 
placed after the verb, and must be so placed, 
when governed either by the imperative affir- 
mative, the infinitive, or participles, and they 
form as if one word with the verb ; as, parld- 
vami, he was speaking to me ; parldtegli, speak 
to him ; non gli par late, dont speak to him ; 
averlo veduto, to have seen him ; vedutolo, having 
seen him. 

Remark 1. Loro is generally placed after the 
verb, and is never joined to it; disse loro, he said 
to them. 

2. .When a pronoun is joined to an infinitive 
ending in re, the infinitive drops the final e ; but 
if it end in rre, it drops re. 

23. When there are more accusatives or da- 
tives than one in each phrase, and relating to 
different persons, we employ for the accusative, 
me, noi, te, voi, se, lui, lei, loro; and for the dative, a 
me, a noi, a te, a voi, a se, a lui, a lei, a loro ; as, 
la pregb oVamdr lid com! egli lei amava, he begged 
her to love him as he loved her ; dirb a lui quel 
medesimo die ho detto a voi, I will tell him the 
same thing that I have told you ; piaci al tuo 
signore e a me, thou pleasest thy lord and me ; 
consoli te e me, console thyself and me. 

24. Mi, ci, ti, vi, and si, change i into e before 



60 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



lo, la, li, le, ne, and they sometimes form but one 
word or are written separately : as, velo or ve lo 
dirb, I will tell it you ; ddtemene, give me some. 

25. Gli, dative, takes e after it, before lo, la, 
li, le, ne, and then it signifies either to him, or to 
her : as, gliene darb, I will give some to him or 
to her. 

26. One, people, they, we, used indefinitely as 
nominatives, are expressed by 5?', which is the 
accusative in Italian, and the English accusative 
becomes the nominative, with which the verb 
must agree in number and person : as, si ama un 
re buono, people like a good king, or, a good king 
is liked ; si dmano i re buoni, people like good 
kings, or, good kings are liked. 

27. If, in such expressions, the English accu- 
sative be a pronoun of the third person singular 
or plural, it is omitted : as, si vede, they see him, 
instead of egli si vede ; si vedono, people see them, 
instead of eglino si vedono, 

28. If, in such expressions, the accusative in 
English be a pronoun of the first, or second per- 
son, singular or plural, the passive voice is used 
in Italian, agreeing with the English accusative 
as nominative : as, sono veduto, they see me, or I 
am seen ; siamo stati veduti, they have seen us, or 
we have been seen. 

29. When the verb is reflected, one, people, tyc, 
are expressed by uno : as, uno si lusinga in vano> 
or, si lusingano in vano, in the plural without uno, 
people flatter themselves in vain. 

Remark. In the compound tenses of such ex- 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 61 

pressions as the above, e'ssere must be used, and 
not avere, because, it is evident the verb becomes 
reflected. 

30. Such passive expressions as, it is said, it is 
believed, &c, are turned thus ; people say so, si 
dice ; they believe so, si crede. 



OF POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. 

31. Possessive pronouns are generally pre- 
ceded by the definite article, and both must be 
repeated with each noun : as, ecco i suoi libri e la 
sua carta, there are his books and paper ; le mie 
sorelle, my sisters. 

32. If the possessive be immediately followed 
by a noun of kindred or dignity in the singular, 
the article is omitted in familiar style ; but if an 
adjective intervene, or if the possessive be loro, 
the article must be used : as, suo padre e giunto, 
his father has arrived ; sua Maesta sta bene, his 
Majesty is well ; il suo caro padre e morto, his 
dear father is dead ; la loro madre viene, their 
mother is coming. 

33. The article is omitted before the possessive 
pronouns with essere signifying to belong to ; as, il 
cavallo e mio e il cane suo, the horse is mine and 
the dog his. 

34. Possessive pronouns in English, preceding 
nouns signifying any part of the body, accom- 
panied by a verb, are expressed by the dative of 
the corresponding personal pronouns, with the 

F 



C2 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



definite article expressed before the noun : as, il 
boja gli troncb la testa, the executioner cut his 
head off; mi romperete il brdccio, you will break 
my arm. 

OF DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS. 

(See Page 11.) 

35. The demonstrative pronouns are either 
joined to nouns, or refer to them, with which 
they must agree in gender and number : as, 
questo cavallo e mio, e quello e suo, this horse is 
mine, and that is his ; coteste scarpe non vi vanno 
bene, these or those shoes do not fit you ; quel 

fiume e larghissimo, that river is very broad. 

36. Questi this man, cotesti that man, quegli 
that man, can only be used as nominatives, and 
have no plural : as, questi e ricco, this man is 
rich ; cotesti e povero, that man is poor ; quegli e 
contento di poco, that man is content with little. 

37. Costui this man, colui that man, costei this 
woman, colei that woman, costoro these men or 
women, coloro those men or women, are used 
either as the subject to a verb, or as the object 
of a verb or preposition : as, chi e colui ? who is 
that man ? die dice colei ? what does that woman 
say ? die avete detto a coloro ? what did you say 
to those people ? 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 63 



OF RELATIVE PRONOUNS. 

(See page 18.) 

38. The relative pronouns are often understood 
in English, but never in Italian ; as Vuomo che 
vedete, the man you see ; la casa della quale par- 
late, the house you are speaking of. 

39. Whose is expressed by di cui, and it is 
placed between the article and the noun, the pre- 
position di being elegantly omitted ; as il maestro 
la cut scienza e grande, the master whose know- 
ledge is great ; instead of la di eui scienza, &c. 



OF VERBS. 

40. Verbs used interrogatively and negatively, 
and those expressing fear, will, desire, command, 
doubt, surprise, permission, suspicion, entreaty, 
govern the subjunctive present, if they be in the 
present or future, and the subjunctive past if they 
be in any of the past tenses or in the conditional ; 
as sapete che sia partito ? do you know that he is 
gone ? temo che venga, I fear he may come ; vo- 
leva che venisse, I wished him to come, (that he 
should come.) 

41. The subjunctive mood, preceded by che, is 
required after bisognare, occorrere, and also after 



64 ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 

e'ssere, when coupled with giusto, ingiusto, possibile, 
impossibile, me'glio, espediente, necessdrio, probdbile ; 
as bisogna che egli vada a casa, he must go home, 
(it is necessary that he should go home ;) e ])ossi- 
bile che non venga, it is possible he may not come. 
42. The superlative degree, followed by a re- 
lative pronoun, governs the subjunctive mood ; 
as il miglior amico che dbbia, the best friend I 
have ; Vuomo piii caritatevole che conosca, the most 
charitable man I know. 



OF PREPOSITIONS. 

(See page 50.) 

43. Prepositions must always precede their 
object ; as Vuomo a ciri parlavate, the man whom 
you were speaking to ; i fanciulli ai quali deste i 
libri, the children w^hom you gave the books to. 

44. To and at a person's house are expressed 
by da, followed by a personal pronoun or a 
noun, or by a casa followed by a possessive pro- 
noun. Andidmo da lui, or a casa sua, let us go 
to his house. 



OF CONJUNCTIONS. 

45. The following conjunctions govern the 
subjunctive mood : — 



ITALIAN GRAMMAR. 



65 



Acciocche\\ to the end that, 
Afinche, j in order that. 
Qiiantunque, 



> although. 



Ancorche, 

Sehbeue, 

Benche, 

Prima che, 

Innanzi che, 

Avanti che, 

Anzi che, 

Senza che, without. 



> before. 



Dopo che, after. 
Subito che,\ as soon 
Tosto che, ) as. 
Infi?iche\ 



> till, until. 



Finche) 

Insinche, 

Sinche, 

Purche, ) provided 

Solo che,) that. 

Posto che, suppose. 



EXERCISES. 



EXPLANATION OF MARKS. 



denotes that the English word above it is not to be ex- 
pressed in Italian. denotes that the Italian is the 



same as the English. 



1. Ingratitude is a very ancient sin. 
ingratitudine o antichissimo peccato. 

I do not know how I can support the insult. 
lo o non so come possa comportare ingiiiria. 
Misery alone is unenvied. Behold, sir, the 
Miseria solo senza invidia. Ecco qui, monsignore, 
father, son and daughter. (It is said) 
padre, figliuolo e Jigliuola. Si dice che 
the king is dead. (It was) the most beautiful 

re morto. Era pih bella 

thing ever formed by nature. 

cosa che mai fosse stata formata da natura. 
He has seen the letter which you wrote 
o vedere lettera che o scriveste 

to the earl. Friendship is (a sacred thing.) 
conte. Amistd 3. 2. santissima cosa 1. 
It is more becoming in women 

Questo si convicne pile a donna 



EXERCISES. 



67 



than in men. 

che a uomo. 
scarcely known 

(si conoscono) 2. 
the hill is a 

montagnetta 
shall be ransomed. 
riscattato. 
Smoloff took leave 

-, prese congedo da 

(are they doing) in 

si fa 



Gold and silver are 

Oro argento appena 

to us. On the top of 

(da noi) 1. colmo 



palace. The slave 

palazzo. schiavo 

Early next day 

Di buon'ora il di segitente 

of the exiles. What 

esiliato. Che 
the cottage f 
capanna ? 



2. Russia is a 



is the capital of 

capitate f. 
from China. (It 



large country. Turin 

vasto paese m. Torino 

Piedmont. Tea comes 
Piemonte m. Te m. viene 

is said) 



that Portugal 



Cina f. (Si dice) che Portogallo 

is quiet. Those merchants (are going) to 



tranquillo. Que 9 



England 
Inghilterra 

storm 
burrasca 

on the 



Peru. 

Peru m. 

violent 

furlosa 

vessels 

bastimento 1. 

Sardinia. (Here 

Sardegna. Ecco 

signed last month, 

sottoscritto scorso2. ilmese 1. 

teed by France. 

tito Frdncia. 



mercatante vanno 
is very powerful. 



potentissima. 

threw ten merchant 

getto mercantili 2. 

southern coast of 

meridionale 2. costa 

is) the treaty; it was 



trattato 
and is 

ed 



esso fit 
guar an - 
guaran^ 



68 EXERCISES. 



Exceptions. — Two (line of battle ships) 

vascello da guerra 
arrived from Italy last month. The 
arrivdrono Italia scorso 2. il mese 1. 

king of France has been in England. 
Francia e stato Inghilterra. 

(I am going to) Russia, Sweden, and Den- 

vado in Svezia Dani- 

mark. My father has arrived from Tus- 
marca. padre essere giunto Tos- 

cany. (We shall set out) on the tenth 
cana. Partiremo o alii dAeci 



from Poland. 
Polonia. 



3. (Are you acquainted with) Mr. 

Conoscete Signor 

Joseph Leonelli? My brother has written to 

Giuseppe ? Mio fratello scritto 

the President. King Charles the first 

Signor Presidente. re Carlo o primo 

perished on the scaffold. Queen Victoria 

perl su palco. Regina — 

succeeded King William the fourth. 
successe a Guglielmo o quarto. 

(It is said) that old James is dead. 
Si dice che vecckio Gidcomo morto. 

Miss Jane is naturally 

Signorina Giovanna naturalmente 

(very agreeable.) 
piacevolina. 



EXERCISES. 69 



4. Captain A., the son of my neighbour, is 
Capitano figlio del mio vicino, 

now in Ireland. Charles the twelfth, King of 
adesso Irlanda. 
Sweden, and Peter the great, emperor of 

Pietro gra/nde imperadore 

Russia, were two great men. George the first 

Giorgo 

succeeded Queen Anne. Admiral N., the 
successe a Anna. Ammirdglio 

father of Mr. John N., has arrived. 
padre Giovanni essere giunto. 

Louis the sixteenth, King of France, was 
Luigi perf. 

beheaded. Charles the fifth, King of Spain, 
decapitare. Spagna 

and emperor of Germany, (was born) at 
imperadore Germdnia, nacque in 

Ghent. 
Gand. 



5. (Give me) some wine and water. (Do you 
Ddtemi vino acqua. Vo- 

wish) any meat? The Colonel has punished 
lete came f, ? colonnello punire 

some soldiers. We have every day some 

soldato. ogni giorno 

fish. (Bring us) some whitings, skate, and 
pesce m. Portdteci nasello, razza 

oysters. Take some oranges and figs. 
ostrica. Prendere meldngolo fico. 

To-morrow I will give some money to the 

Domane dare danaro 



70 EXERCISES. 



sailors. Have you received any letters this 
marinaro. ricevere lettera 

morning? (His immense wealth) 

stamattina ? (La vastita delle sue ricchezze) 
easily procured him protectors and 

facilmente 3. procurare 2. gli 1. protettore 
friends. 
amico. 



6. (I asked you for) wine and not water. 

( Vi ho chiesto) vino non acqua. 

They sell bread, wine, and beer. Those 

Vender e pane, m. oirra. Quelle 3. 

are women whom you see, and not men. 

1. donna 2. che vedere, non uomo. 

They died not like men, but like beasts. 

Morivano come uomo, ma btstia. 

(He is building) castles in the air. She 

Fare castello o aria. Ella 

desires to have ease, comfort, and repose. 

vuole o quiete, consolazione, riposo* 

(It well becomes you) to reprimand, (not 

(A voi sta bene) ripigliare 3. (non 

only friends, but strangers also. 

che amico,) 1. (ma strano) 2. o 



7. This grocer sells sugar at tenpence a- 
Questo droghlere vindere zucchero o soldo 
pound, and tea at seven shillings a pound. This 
libbra te m. o scelline 



EXERCISES. 71 



cloth is worth twenty francs an ell. I paid 
panno valere franco carina. Ho pagato 

for this wine twelvepence a bottle. How much 
o soldo bottiglia* Quanto ne 

do you ask for a dozen ? I bought this hay 
domandate o dozzina ? Ho comprato fieno 
for four pounds a load. Buy me three 
o lira sterlina carrettata. Comprare mi 

ounces of tobacco, at fivepence an ounce. 
oncia tobacco o soldo 



8. (What countrymen) are you? I am an 
( Di che paese) 
Italian. His father was a Scotchman and a 
Italiano. Scozzese 

physician. The king made him an admiral. 
medico. re fece 2. lo 1. ammirdglio. 

Are you an Englishman? No, Sir, I am a 

Inglese ? Signdr no, 
Frenchman, and a captain of cavalry. I declare 
Francese capitano cavalleria. dickiarare 

he is a madman. This girl is not a seamstress. 
che matto. fanciulla 2. 1. cucitrice. 

(He will become) a knight and a minister. 
diverra cavaliere. ministro. 



9. Have you ever been at Marseilles, a fine 

mai a Marsiglia bella 

town near Toulon ? Have they read the Lady 
cittci vicino a Tolone ? letto Donna 



72 EXERCISES. 



of the Lake, a poem ? (Do you know) Mr T., 

Lago, poema ? Conoscete 

a cavalry-officer ? The Rhone, a beautiful 

uffiziale di cavalleria ? Ro'dano, be I 

river in France, is rapid. The city of London, 
jftume di Frdncia, rdpido. cittd Londra 

the capital of England, (is situated) on the 

giace 
banks of the Thames, a most beautiful river. 
riva Tamigi m. bellisswio. 



PROMISCUOUS EXERCISES. 

Men and women are mortal. Wine is 
Uomo donna mortale. Vino 

dear in England. We are now in 

a caro prezzo Inghilterra. adesso 

Prance. (We will go) from Italy to Germany. 
a Frdncia. Andremo da Italia Germdnia. 
On the banks of the river Irtish (is situated) 

riva Jiume m. giace 

the city of Tobolsk, the capital of Siberia. 

citta capitate 

Iron is dear. Have you read Jerusalem 

ferro caro. letto la Gerusalemme 

Delivered, a poem by Torquatto Tasso? Mr. 

Liberata, poema di ■ — ? 

William (set of) this morning (at four o'clock.) 
GuglieJnio (e partito) starnane alle quattro. 

The king has made him a general and a knight. 
re 2. fare 3. lo 1. generate cavaliere. 
Mr. Weber's brother is a German. That 

Tedesco. Quel 



EXERCISES. 73 



gentleman's sister is an Italian. (I like) this 

signore sorella Italiana. (Mi picwe) 

wine ; how much do you ask for a dozen ? 

quanto ne domandare o dozzina ? 
I sell it at ten shillings a bottle. Sugar 
vendere lo 2. o scelline bottiglia. Zucchero 
(is sold) at sixpence a-pound. He asks you 
si vende o soldo libbra* Domandare 2. vi\. 
wine, and you give him brandy. (By his 

dare 2, gli 1, acqiiavita. (AW 
dress) (he appears to me) a stranger. Do 
ctbito) (mi sembra) straniero. 

you like this French wine? I see some men. 
vi piac-e Veggo uomo. 

We supped with Mrs. Colombo, (a native of) 

Cenammo Signora di 

Tuscany. Will you eat some figs ? We 
Toscana. Volere fico ? 

come from China. Let us go to Peru, Old 
Veniamo Cina. Andiamo Peru m. 

Francis is dead. (They are going) to Palermo, 

Francesco morto. (Vanno) 

the capital of Sicily. I will give this gold 

Sicilia. . dare oro 

chain to my mother. The young queen of 
catena madre. gidvane regina 

Spain succeeded Ferdinand the Seventh. 
Spagna successe a Ferdinando. 



10. They are iron chains. What art thou 
o ferro catena. Che ti 



G 



74 EXERCISES. 



in want of? Thou hast man-servants, thou hast 

manca ? fam'tglio 

maid-servants, thou hast silk gowns of every 

serva, seta vesta ogni 

colour, gold rings and chains, in short, what thou 
colore, oro anello catena, in fine cib die o 

wishest. Do you like French wines? They 

vuoi. Vi pidcciono Frdncia vino ? 

have lost twenty iron guns. (Bring us) four 

perdere cannone. (Recdteci) 

silver-spoons. This marble temple is very 
argento cucchidio. marmo tempio beU 

beautiful. I have found a silver watch and a 

lissimo. trovare oriuolo 

gold seal. I have bought a silk waistcoat, cotton 
sigillo. comprare seta sottoveste, f. cotone 

stockings, and a gold watch. Have the navy 
calzetta, oro oriuolo. Essere (marina 

officers arrived ? 

ufiiziale) 2. giunti ? 1. 



11. This child with the fair hair is brother to 
fanciullo biondi capelli il fratello di 
that young lady with the silk gown. (I am 
quella signorina seta vesta. Vo 

looking for) the cards. Have you any writing 
cercando carta da giuoco. o scrivere 

paper? There are many fruit trees in that 
carta ? Vi sono molto frutti dJbero quel 

garden. The oil casks are mine. (How many) 
giardino. olio botte f. mie Quante 



EXERCISES. 75 



bed-rooms have you? Did he buy the writing- 
letto camera Ha comprato scrivere 

table ? Give me six wine bottles, eight coffee- 
tdvola ? Datemi bottiglia caffe 

spoons, and a salt box. 

cucchiarino sale zucca. 



12. (The day before yesterday) I dined (at the) 
(Avanti ieri) pranzai dal 

governor's brother's. The noise of the people 

governatore fratello. strepito gentei. 

and the sound of the instruments (hindered us) 
ed suono istrmnento cHmpedirono 

from hearing the king's speech. (Where is the 

di sentire re discorso. Ov' e 

minister's carriage? My father's misfortunes 
ministro carrozza ? Mio padre sventura 

and my mother's miserable condition compel me 
mia madre infelice 2. stato 1. a cib mi 
to it. Have they received the captain's 

costringono, ricevere capitano 

orders. Frederick's sister is gone to Italy. 

or dine m. Federigo sorella andare in Italia. 
What (are they doing) at the garden door? 
Che si fa giardino iiscio ? 

(They are selling) the master's house. 
si vende padrone casa. 



7 6 EXERCISES. 



PROMISCUOUS EXERCISES. 

This writing paper is very thin. Where 
scrivere carta sottiUssimo. Dove 

did you buy this English wool? It really 
avete comprare lanal o propria 2. 

seems a dwelling for robbers. The girl w T ith 
parere 1. stanza ladro. fanciulla 

the fair hair is mv friend's sister. The 

bionclo capello plur. il mio amico sorella, 
garden-gate is shut. These fruit-trees are 
giardino porta chiusa. frutti dlbero 

beautiful to look at. Do you sell French wines ? 

hello a riguardare. vendere vino ? 

I have found a gold seal and a silver watch. 

oro sigillo argento oriuolo. 

You w T ill find the pen-knife on the writing- 
trovare temperino scrivere 

table. The Master's horses are in the stable. 
tcivola. padrone cavallo stalla. 



13. The water is cool. She has (a great 
acqua fresco. 
many) friends. How many looking-glasses has 
molto amico. Quanto specchio 

he sent? He gave me (so many) (blows 
mandati? Diede 2, mil. tanto hasto- 

with a stick) that he almost killed 

nata die o fu }ires$o die per ammaz- 

me. She is handsome, rich, discreet, witty, and 
zarmi. hello, ricco, sdvio, spiritoso y 



EXERCISES. 77 



faithful. Your cousin is polite, kind, and as 
fedele. Vostro cugina f. cortese, bnono, cosi 
generous as you. Hear what she did in presence 
liberale come vol. Udire quel ch? ella fece cospetto 
of (a great many) people. More soldiers 

molto persona plur. (Piu soldato 2.) 

have been slain. You give him too many 
(si sono uccisi.) 1. dare 2. gli 1. troppo 

flowers. 
fiore. 



14. The father and mother are dead. The 

morto. 
water and wine are cool. The vallies and hills 

fresco. voile f. collina 

are very beautiful. Your friends and mine were 

bellissimo. I vostri amico ed i miei imp. 

(well-pleased). The king and queen are beneficent. 

content issimo. re regina benefico. 

The master and mistress are respected. I will not 

padrone padrona rispettato. 
mention the persecutions, ruins, deluges, 
(parlare di) per seen zione f. ruina, diliivio, 

battles, ship-wrecks that happened in the time 
battdglia, naufrdgio o avvenuto al tempo 
of the Romans. 
Romano. 



15. Bologna will present to your eyes 
presentarc a 5 suoi occhio 



78 EXERCISES. 



another fine prospect. Ferraro (will offer you) 

pros-petto. (le farce vedere) 

a beautiful and vast solitude. The best way 

hello grande solitiidine f. onodo 

to be revenged is to pardon. (How many) 

di vendicarti e il perdonare. Quanto 

horses have you now ? Who (is making) (so 
cavallo adesso ? Chi fa 

much) noise ? The little boy (at the foot) of 
tanto romore ? figliuolo apple 

the bed was weeping. The good old man 
letto struggevasi in piemfo. vecchio 

(bestowed many blessings on) his prudent bene- 
(benedisse mille volte) il suo sdggio bene- 

factor. There he found a worthy woman, 
fattore. Quivi o trovo buono donna 

who was very old. She dwells at the 
die era molto attempato. Ella essere 
end of this street, in the last house on 
fine m. strada, casa a 

the left, (on the) third floor. He (went into 
o manca, al terzo piano. entrarc in 

a very small room, (where he only saw) 

o cameretta otf altro non vide che) 

an old chest and a very (little bed.) 
armddio o letticello. 



16. He wore a round hat, green 

portava rotondo cappello, verde 

spectacles, yellow shoes, and a white um- 

occktale, giallo scarpa bianco om- 

brella. Have you many French books? 

brello. molto 'Francese libro ? 



EXERCISES. 79 



Grateful men (are liked). In this 

( riconoscente a 07710) 2. (si d 7 net no) 1. tal 

manner, all these animals enjoy happy and 

guisa tuito a/nimale godere felice 

merry days. An exiled family dwelt on 
allegro giorno. esiliato famiglia abitava 

the border of a circular lake. That healthy 
mdrgine in. circolare logo. Quel salubre 
climate made her strong and stout. 
clima m. rendea 2. la 1. forte rdbusto. 

Buy a pair of black slippers. Give 

Compretre pdio nero pianella. Dare 

me a glass of red wine. 



bicchierem. rosso vino. 



17. We are more diligent than your friend. 

diligem te il vostro a 771 ico. 

He is stronger than Charles. (There is not) 

piii forte Carlo. X071 e 

a woman (in the) world who is happier 
al mondo sia piu felice 

than she. The sister is taller than the 

lei. piu alto 

brother. Gold is heavier than silver. 
Oro piu pesetnte argento. 

TTe walk less than he does. Cicero was 
Passeggiamo 77ieno lid 0. Cicerone imp. 

more eloquent than Anthony. The lesson 
eloquente Antonio. lezione f. 

you are writing is more difficult than 
che state scrivendo difficile 

mine. It cost more than four thousand 
la, mia. Valeva 



80 EXERCISES. 



pounds. Who would be luckier than I, if 
lira. Chi meglio me se 

that money were mine? 
quegli denari fosser' miei ? 



18. He reads more by day than by 
Uggere di giorno dl 

night. You are more foolish in your 
notte. folle nella vostra 

old age than you were in your youth. 
vecchiezza non foste gioventu. 

It is better late than never. Now, I deny 
o meglio tardi mai. Ora o negare 2. 

it more than ever. She is more enamoured 
lo 1. mai. ElV innamorato 

than wise. He was more esteemed in 

sdvio. imp. stimato 

Florence than in Rome. They behave more 
Firenze Roma. si comportare 

courageously than prudently. In the 
coraggiosamente prudentemente. 

situation we are in, we have more to hope 
stato hi cui o da sperare 

than to fear. I would rather stay in 
da temere. Mi piacerebbe piu restdr nella 
your cottage than depart. 
vostra capanna mettermi in cammino. 



19. We are stronger than they believe. 

piu forte credere. 



EXERCISES. 



81 



some persons who write 
alcuno persona che scrivere 
they speak, and there are 

vene 
than they write. 



speak 



parlare, 
better 



more 



There are 
Vi 

better than 

meglio 

others who 

altro 

Drunkards 

Imbriacone 

You spend 

spendere 
we as 

fossimo tanto dovizioso quanta Creso, 
(would make) a better use of our riches 

usa delle nostre richezza 
of his. I am better than 
delle sue. Stare meglio 



drink 

bevere 
more 



than they eat. 
mangiare. 
than you gain. Were 

guadagnare. Senoi 
wealthy as Croesus, we 



o 



faremmo 
than (he did) 
fece egli 
you are. 
2. 1. 



20. Under these rags you behold one of 
Sotto di cencio inirare 

the richest men in England. This man is 
ricco uomo Costui 

the best in the world for that. The oldest 

mondo da cid. vecchio 

in the assembly will decide the question. 

asseniblea decidere questione f. 

Mr. Anthony is the tallest in the regiment. 

Antonio alto reggimenta. 

He is the most virtuous man in this city. 

virtuoso o cittd. 

You are the (most careless) young man in 

(piii trascurato) 2. gwvane 1, 



82 EXERCISES. 



this house. The youngest of the sisters is the 

casa. gidvane 

handsomest in the family. 
hello famiglia. 



PROMISCUOUS EXERCISES. 

Caesar was much more esteemed than 
Cesare imperf. molto stimato 

Pompey. My brother is the tallest in the 
Pompeo. alto 

regiment. He behaves better than you do. 
reggimento. Si comporta meglio o 

His cousin (is travelling) with the richest 

cugino viaggiare 

man in Europe. You are more prudent 
o Enropa. prudent e 

than he. It is better now than never. 

lui. o meglio ora mai. 

It cost more than twenty thousand pounds. 
o valeva mila lira 

His discourses have been longer than I 
/ suoi ragionamento lungo 

expected. He made the finest stories in 
m'aspettava. o faceva fdvola 

the world. I, who am young, can work 
mondo. die giovane posso faticdr 

better than you, who are old. Plis mother 

vecchio. 
is (very rich.) I want to buy an Italian 
ricchissimo. Voglio o Italiano 

grammar. I love him more than I love 
grammcitica. Vamo o o 



EXERCISES. 83 



myself. He had one of the most beautiful 
me stessa. o aveva hello 

horses in Tuscany. You are more con- 
pallafreno Toscana con- 

tented to-day than yesterday. They were 
tento oggi ieri. o erano 

more esteemed in Florence than in Rome. 
stimato Firenze Roma, 



OF PRONOUNS. 

21. I thank you for your offer. 
o ringraziare delta offerta. 

I beg you will afford me advice and 
Vipregare o che porgiate consiglio 

assistance. What have you promised him? 
aiuto. Che o promesso gli ? 

We have not spoken to him to-day. Do 

non parlare °99^ 

not scold her. He flatters himself (too much.) 

sgridare lusingare troppo. 

Let us not give her any thing. You have deserved 
dare le nulla. meritare 

it (as well as) he. He said to him, " I do not 

siccome lui. o disse 
know you, and I do not know who you 
conoscere o o so chi 

are." What do you advise me to do? I 
siate. Che consigliare difaref 

will serve you as far as I am able. 

servire per quanto posso. 

He has promised us some recommendatory 
o promesso alcuno favorevole 2. 



84 EXERCISES. 



letters to his friends in Italy. My father 
Uttera 1. a' suoi amico Italia. 

honours and esteems them. 
onorare stimare gli. 



22. Tell me who you are and where you 
Bite chi dove state a 

dwell. Will you not return it to Mr. Francis ? 
casa. Non volete rendere Francesco ? 

I departed from you greatly displeased, and 
o partire da molto scontento 

complaining also of my fate. Do to 

dolersi ancora delta mia sorte. Fare 

me (what) you like. Let us beware of 

(quel che) volere. Guardarsi 

flatterers. I want to speak to you. Let 
adulatore. o voglio o parlare o 

us not give him a reward. She came 
o dare gli ricompensa. venne 

to see us. Having given her a chair, he 
a vedere le sedia 

(went out) of the room. Having seen 
uscl o camera. o vedere 

him, he went away. (Having called) 

sene andd. Chiamati 

them into her house, she said ("to them.) 
gli casa sua o disse loro. 



23. I love you, as you love me. He has 
amare come 

stolen a picture (from me), and a horse (from 
rubare quadro 2. a 1. cavallo 2. a 



EXERCISES. 85 



you). If you loved me as I love you, you 

1. Se o amaste com' io o 

would not refuse it me. (It is the duty 

non negare 2. melo 1. Tocca 

of) our master to reward us, and not our's 
al maestro a premiare a noi 

to reward him. I punish you and not 
a punisco non 

him. Speak to me and not to her. Scold 
Parlare Bgridare 

him and her. (At once) thou comfortest 

Ad un* ova consolare 

me and thyself. Thou canst please thy 

o pnoi placer e al tuo 



lord and me. 
signore a 



24 and 25. I will not give it to him. 

dare 
Pray give us some. If she wants 

Ve ne prego, dare ne Se ella vuo* 

to know it, I will tell it to her. 1 will tell 
o sapere dire dire 

it you to-morrow. You cannot refuse 

domani. non potere negare 

them to him. Pray do give him some* 

f. Ve ne prego, dare gli ne 

Has he given it to you? The knight 

dare cavalier e, 

having (taken off) his riding-cloak, gave 

o tratto il suo cappotto, cliede 

H 



86 EXERCISES. 



it to her. You will give them to us. 

li 
Why have you given it to him? 
Perche 



26 and 27. They speak of nothing 

Non si parlare oValtro 
but peace. What are they doing? Do 
che di pace, Che fare 

not speak to me (about it.) Where are they 

ne Dove 

going ? I wish to go and see what people 
andare ? o voglio a vedere quel che 

are doing there. They are called ducks. 

vi chiamare paper a. 

What would people say of you, if you (should 
Che dire se 

do it? We do them no injustice, if 
faceste il. Non si fa loro alcuna ingiuria, 
we treat them as they have treated others. 
trattare si come gli altri. 

They toil (at it) day and night. 
2. lavorare 3. vi 1. di notte. 

They see twelve men. What do they 
Vedere dodici Che 

say (about it)? 
dire ne 



28, 29 and 30. If you do not go to the 

Se 



EXERCISES. 87 



review, they will punish you. People will 

rassegna punire 

hate thee. When we shave ourselves in haste, 

odidre uno rddere in fretta 

we often cut ourselves. It is believed 

sovente si fa un tdglio a I viso, credere 

he will arrive to-morrow. It is said that 

die arrlvare domane. 

he is dead. They will not know you 

motive. conoscere 

with this coat on. They saw us (two 

cotesto dbito o. (due 

days ago.) They have not yet spoken 

giorni fa.) ancora 

of a composition, but they will speak 

agghistamento, ma 
(of it) before long. 
ne fra poco. 



PROMISCUOUS EXERCISES. 

You may, at the same time, do yourself very 
potere medesimo- far a o gran- 

great honour, and me a great service. They say 
dissimo onore, a o grande utilitd. 
(a great many) things of him. I said so to her. 

molto cosa dissi 

When people (are in good health), they eat more 

stare bene mangiare 

at sea than on shore. Send them to her. 
'per mare in terra, Mandare le 



88 EXERCISES. 



(Address thyself) to her, not to me. They put 
Fa motto non mandare 

to the sword two thousand people. Send it to 
a fit di spada persone. la 

him. Do not give him any. People do not 

dare gli ne 
believe you. I punish him and not you. 
credere Punisco 

Speak to me and not to her. They have not 
Parlare 
seen him. Let us give him a slice of bread. 

gli fetta pane. 

We flatter ourselves (too much.) You will 

hi sing are troppo . 

give them to us. I will tell it to you to-morrow. 

dire domane. 

Let us read it to him. Do not read it to 

Uggere 
her. I am going to find him. I advise to 
Andare a trovare Consigliare a 

do it. It is believed that he will depart 

par tire 
to-day. 
oggi. 



POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. 

Rules 31, 32, 33, 34. My house is not so large. 

casa st grande. 

I wish to consider his ways and manners. 

Volere consklerare modo costume. 

Brother, this is my daughter. I have 

Fratel mio, questa figliuola. 



EXERCISES. 89 



heard that the house is no longer your's. 
sentito dire piic 

I am thy unhappy daughter. I am ready 
sventurato jiglia. deliberate 

to do what your Excellency desires. There 
di quel che Eccellenza desiderare. o 

were in Messina three young brothers, 

giovane 

become very rich upon the death of their 
rimaso assai ricco dopo morte f. 

father. Go and wash your hands. The 
padre. a lavare memo. 

meadows are your's; the country-house 
prato casa di campagna 

her's ; and the olive-trees mine. If your Excel- 

nlivo Se 

lency thinks proper (to mention it) 

credere convenevole di fame men zione 
to her Majesty, (here is) the petition. 
Maesta, ecco mpplica. 

A shot carried away his leg. I have 

palla portare via gamba. 

dislocated my shoulders. Your brothers 
slogare spalla. 

know that you were with us. Mind 
sapere eravate con Badare 

how you carve, you will cut your fingers. 
come trinciare tagliare dito. 

Whose boots are these ? They are mine. I 
Di chi stivale 3. 1. questi 2. o 

know that you have respected my mother, 
sipere onorata 

and assisted my wretched father. 
aiutare misero 



90 



EXERCISES. 



DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS. 



35, 36, 37. I have lost the key of this 

pcrdere chiave f. 
door. You also say that that house is 
porta. Anche voi dite che casa 

mine. What means this ? How (can 

Che vuol dir Come 

you utter) those words? What shall we do 
dite voi parqla Che fa/rem noi 

to those men ? This man will conquer you. 

v incere 
That man has been unsuccessful in his 

infelice 
Speak no more to me of 

piu 

Let this traitor be seized. 

o ( traditore) 2. (sia preso) 1. 

man never keeps his word. 

non 1. mai 3. mantenere 2.parola. 



undertaking. 

impresa. 
those men. 



This 
These 



with elegance. 



From 

Da 

advice 



cleg an za. 



fables are written 
fdvola scritto 

that woman you will receive good 

riccvere 
j from this woman you (will 
consigli (plur.) 

receive) nothing but mischief. Those shoes 
2. non 1. altro che danno. scaipa 

do not fit you well. 
andare bene. 



EXERCISES. 91 



RELATIVE PRONOUNS. 

38, 39, and page 18. (Here is) the man by 

Ecco da 

whom we are abused. You do not know the 

beffare. conoscere 

danger you are in. Mr. A., whom you know, 
pericolo 0. 2. 1. 

wishes to speak to you. I know that you 
volere sapere o 

(will call on) those gentlemen whom 
andare a vedere 

you met (at the) general's yesterday. 
rincontrare dal generate 2. ieri 1. 

There I met (a young man) whose manners 
Ivi giovane maniera 

(are prepossessing.) The dog you 

prevengono in suo favore. cane al 

are feeding is a snarling beast. 

quale date da mangiare o ringhioso o 

You have disturbed all the people who 

inquietare persona 

live in this house. Refuse not the boon 
stare casa. Rifiutare grdzia 

that God sends you. This is the man of 

Iddio mandare. 
whom I have spoken to you. 



92 EXERCISES. 



OF INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS. 

(See page 19.) 

4 

What have you done to day ? Of what do 

fare oggi ? 
you complain ? Who will believe that he says 
lagnarsi ? credere dica 

probable things? Whose writing-desk is 
verisimile 2. 1. scrittojo 3. 1. 

that? To whom have I offered an insult? 
2. fare o insulto ? 

In what country shall I take refuge ? 

paese ricovero ? 

Who is worse treated than I am by 

piu maltrattato o 

fortune? What law appears best 

legge f. parere rnigliore 
to you ? What reward shall I have from 

guiderone debbo 
you for such a service ? What fools ! 
di coslfatto o servigio? sciocco I 



OF VERBS. 

40, 41, 42. I wonder (that) he should 

maravigliarsi che 

flatter that author (so much). Command 

(adulare) a%itore2. tanto 1. Comandare 

that we should go and fight, and we shall 

a batter si 



EXERCISES. 93 



obey. I fear he will die of that disease. 
ubbidire. Temere che morire malattia. 

He (would have) me go with the Duke. It 

vorrebbe che io Duca. 

is probable that he will arrive here before 

arrivare qui prima 
the courier. Do you think he can refrain ? 
del cor Here. credere potere tenersi ? 

I see nobody that knows us. He was 
Nonvcdereniv/rio conoscere II piio 

the happiest man that ever existed. 
contento uomju giammai 2. essere 1. 

Send me a man who is faithful. It is better 
Mandare fedele. 

(Tor you) to speak. I do not know r whether 
che vol o parlare. sapere che 

you (may have) heard it. Mr. Francis is the 

avere inteso Francesco 

best friend I have. I do not believe he is 

credere che 
gone from London. 
partlre Londra. 



OF PREPOSITIONS, &e. 

43, 44, and page 50, &c. (There is) the man 

Ecco 
w r hom he complains of. I will bring you to her 

lagnarsi menare 

house. Yesterday (your friend A.) (dined at 

Ieri 2. pranzare 

my house.) Have you been at the senator's ? 
1. senator e ? 



94 EXERCISES. 



I will go to your house. I wanted to go to 

venire Voleva venire 

your house to wish you a good journey, but 

a darvi il vidggio 

it was not possible. What does he say 
non e stato possibile. dire 

against us ? Do you not see it opposite to 

contro di ? vedere 

that house ? You will see her near that tree. 

dlbero. 
He does not want to accompany us till that 

volert accompagnare 
time. You have arrived before us. He has a 

giugnere 
little cottage near the sea. Are they going to 

capannella mare. andare 

my brother's ! 



CONJUNCTIONS. 

45. Although he was hungry he would 
Sebbene avert fame 

not eat. The passenger fell overboard 

mangiare. passeggiero in mare 

without any sailor perceiving it. In order 

marinaro accorgersene. 
that you may know how it happened, I w T ill 

intendere come questo avvenuto mi sia, 
(make it plain to you) (in a few words.) Pro- 
fare chiaro 2. brievemente 1. 

vided you give me a hint, I will go away. 

fare o cenno via. 

Leave the water in the coffee-pot till it 
Lasciare acqua cafettiera 



EXERCISES. 95 



• 



boils. He sent us all these gifts before he 

mandare dono 

started. Before you slay me, tell me in 
partire. Anzi che uccidere dire 

what I have offended you. I shall know how 

che offeso sapere o 

to mix this medicine, provided you can 
comporre medicina, 

(keep secret) what you will see. 
tacere vedere. 



PHRASES AND DIALOGUES. 



I. 



It is true. 
It is not true. 
That is but too true. 

No one doubts it. 
There is no doubt of it. 
What will you wager ? 



I could bet something. 



I will bet what vou 

like. 
Believe me, I can vouch 

for it. 
It is so. 
It is not so. 



E vero. 

Non e vero. 

Quest' e pur troppo 

vero. 
Niuno ne diibita. 
Non v' e dubbio alcuno. 
Che volete scommet- 

tere 1 
Scommetterei qualche 

cosa. 
Scommettero quel che 

volete. 
Credetemi, velo posso 

assicurare. 
E cosi. 
Non e cosi. 



DIALOGUES. 



97 



I believe it is. 
I believe it is not. 
I say it is. 
I say it is not. 
Upon my honour. 
Upon my word. 
Upon the word of a 

gentleman. 
I always tell the truth. 
I believe you. 
I don't believe a word 

of it. 
I don't believe the half 

of what is said. 
I cannot believe it. 
That is true. 
It is impossible. 
That is false. 
It is a falsehood. 



Credo di si. 
Credo di no. 
Dico di si. 
Dico di no. 
Sull' onor mio. 
Sulla mi a parola. 
Da galantuomo. 

Dico sempre la verita. 

Yi credo. 

Non ne credo una pa- 
rola. 

Non credo la meta di 
quel che si dice. 

Non posso crederlo. 

Quest' e vero. 

E impossible. 

Quest' e falso. 

E una bugia. 



II. 



Good morning, Sir. 

Your very humble ser- 
vant. 

I am glad to see you in 
good health. 

I thank you with all 
my heart. 

Can I be of any service 
to you ? 

You do me too much 
honour. 



Buon giorno, signore* 
Servitor e umilissimo. 

Godo di vedervi in 

buona salute. 
Yi ringrazio di tutto 

cuore. 
Posso servirvi in qual- 

che cosa ? 
Mi fate troppo onore. 



98 



DIALOGUES. 



I am much obliged to 

you. 
Give the gentleman a 

chair. 
It is unnecessary. 
I am very well as I 

am. 
Don't be upon cere- 
mony. 
How does your brother 

do? 
He is very well. 
Is he at home ? 
No, Sir, he has gone 

out. 
And how does your 

sister do ? 

Not very well. 

What is the matter with 

her? 
She has got a fever. 
Since when ? 
Since yesterday. 
I am very sorry for it. 

Is it long since you 
saw Mr. Lanucci ? 

I saw him yesterday. 

I saw him the day be- 
fore yesterday; last 
month. 



Vi sono molto tenuto. 

Date una sedia al sig- 

nore. 
Non e necessario. 
Sto benissimo cosi. 

Non fate ceremonie. 

Come sta il vostro sig- 

nor fratello ? 
Sta benissimo. 
E egli in casa ? 
No, signore, e uscito. 

E la vostra signorina 
sorella, come sta 
ella? 

Non troppo bene. 

Che ha ? 

Ha la febbre. 

Da quant o in qua ? 

Da ieri in qua. 

Me ne displace moltis- 

simo. 
E un pezzo che non 

avete veduto il Sig- 

nor Lanucci ? 
L' ho veduto ieri. 
L' ho veduto l'altro gi- 

orno ; il mese pas- 

sato. 



DIALOGUES. 



99 



When you see him, 
give him my com- 
pliments. 

Adieu, my dear friend. 



Quando lo vedrete, fa- 
tegli i miei compli- 
menti. 

Addio, mio caro amico. 



in. 



What shall we do ? 
What is to be done f 
What do you advise me 

to do? 
What course shall I 

take? 
What should you like 

to do? 
Let us do so. 
I think it would be 

better to do so. 
If I were in your place, 

I would do so. 
What do you think ? 
What is your opinion ? 
What will all this 

avail ? 
Allow me to act. 



Che faremo ? 
Che si ha da fare ? 
Che mi consigliate di 

fare? 
Che parti to prendero ? 

Che vorreste fare ? 

Facciamo cosi. 

Mi pare che sarebbe 

meglio di fare cosi. 
S'io fossi in luogo vos- 

tro farei cosi. 
Che ne pensate ? 
Che ve ne pare ? 
A che servira tutto 

questo ? 
Lasciate fare a me. 



IV. 



Who is there ? 


Chi e la ? 


Come in. 


Entrate. 


Whence do you come ? 


Di dove venite ? 


I come from home. 


Vengo di casa mia. 


Where are you going ? 


Dove andate ? 



100 



DIALOGUES. 



I am going to walk. 

I am going to see a 
friend. 

I am going to Mr. Lim- 
perani's. 

I am going to Mrs. F's. 

I am not going far ; 
home ; to the the- 
atre ; to church. 

Do you wish me to go 
with you ? 

Let us go together. 

Let us go back. 

Come here. 

Go up. 

Go down. 

Go to the right. 

Go to the left. 

Go away. 

Go out. 

Make haste. 

Return immediately. 

Do not walk so fast. 

Go slower. 

You are walking too 

fast. 
I am in haste. 
Stop. 

Do not stir from hence. 
Why do you stand ? 

Sit down. 



Vado a spasso. 

Yaclo a veder un ami- 
co. 

Vado dal Signor Lim- 
perani. 

Yado dalla Signora F. 

Vado qua vicino ; a 
casa ; alia conime- 
dia ; alia chiesa. 

Yolete ch' io venga con 
voi? 

Andiamo insieme. 

Torniamo indietro. 

Yenite qua. 

Salite. 

Scendete. 

Andate a destra. 

Andate a sinistra. 

Andatevene. 

Uscite di casa. 

Sbrigatevi. 

Tornate siibito. 

Non camminate cosi 
presto. 

Andate piu adagio. 

Camminate troppo pres- 
to. 

Ho fretta. 

Ferniatevi. 

Non vi movete di costa. 

Perche restate voi in 
piedi ? 

Sedete. 



DIALOGUES. 



101 



Wait a little. 
Open the door. 
Shut the window. 



Aspettate un poco. 
Aprite la porta. 
Chiudete la finestra. 



Y. 



Hear me. 

Do you hear me ? 

Do you understand 
me? 

I understand you well. 

I understand you a lit- 
tle. 

What do you say ? 

Answer me. 

Speak loud. 

You speak too low. 

Who is that gentleman 

you were speaking 

to a little ago ? 
Do you know him ? 
I know him by sight. 
I know him by report. 
I have not the honour 

to know him. 
Do you know that lady? 

I have seen her several 

times. 
Where does she live ? 
Hard by. 
In what street ? 



Ascoltatemi. 
M' intendete ? 
Mi capite ? 

Y'intendo bene. 
Yi capisco un poco. 

Che cosa dite ? or che 

dite? 
Bispondetenii. 
Parlate forte. 
Parlate troppo piano. 
Chi e quel signore che 

parlava con voi poco 

fa? 
Lo conoscete ? 
Lo conosco di vista. 
Lo conosco per fama. 
Non ho l'onor di cono- 

scerlo. 
Conoscete voi quella 



si 2f nor a 



* 



L'ho veduta parecchie 

volte. 
Dove sta di casa ? 
Qui vicina. 
In che strada 1 



102 



DIALOGUES. 



Iii King Street 

What country does she 

come from ? 
She is an Italian. 
Where did you become 

acquainted with her ? 
In Venice, in Milan, in 

Paris, in London. 
Have you known her 



long ? 



About three years. 

I should like to know 

her. 
We will go together 

and pay our respects 

to her. 
When? 

When you please. 
We will go to-morrow. 



Nella Strada del Re. 
Di chc paese e ? 

E Italiana. 

Dove l'avete conosciu- 

ta? 
In Venezia, in Milano, 

in Parhn, in Londra. 
E un pezzo che la co- 

noscete ? 
Sono tre anni incirca. 
Avrei a caro di far la 

sua conoscenza. 
Andremo insieme a ri- 

verirla. 

Quan do ? 

Quando vi piacera. 
Vi andremo domattina. 



VI. 



Are you still in bed f 
I was sleeping soundly. 

You sleep too much. 
You are very lazy. 
Get up instantly. 
Let me sleep. 
You must get up ; it is 

nine o'clock. 
I went to bed very late 

last night. 



Siete ancora in letto ? 
Dormiva profonda- 

niente. 
Yoi dormite troppo. 
Siete un poltrone. 
Alzatevi siibito. 
Lasciatemi clormire. 
Bisogna levarsi ; sono 

le nove. 
Ieri sera, andai a letto 

molto tardi. 



DIALOGUES. 



103 



What did you do after 

supper f 
TTe played at picket. 
Did you win or lose ? 
I gained thirty sequins. 

How long did you play? 

Till one in the morn- 
ing. 

I do not wonder that 
you get up so late. 

Come ; I will dress my- 
self. 

Bring me my stockings. 

"Where are my shoes ? 

Here they are. 

Where is my morning 
gown? 

It is upon that arm- 
chair. 

Give me a pocket- 
handkerchief. 

Here is a white one, 
Sir. 

Give me some water 
to wash myself. 

Some one knocks ; see 
who it is. 

It is Mr. Eiagioli. 

Show him in. 



Che faceste dopo cena ? 

Si giuoco a picchetto. 
Avete vinto o perso ? 
Ho vinto trenta zec- 

chini. 
Fin a che ora giuo- 

caste ? 
Fino a tin' ora dopo 

mezza notte. 
Non mi meraviglio se 

vi levate cosi tardi. 
Animo, voglio vestirmi. 

Portatemi le mie cal- 

zette. 
Dove sono le mie 

scarpe ? 
Eccole. 
Dov' e la ruia veste da 

camera ? 
E su quella sedia d'ap- 

poggio. 
Daterui un fazzoletto. 

Eccone un bianco, sis:- 

nore. 
Datemi dell' acqua per 

lavarmi. 
Si picchia, vedete chi 

e. 
E il Sisnor Biasdoli. 
Fatelo entrare. 



104 



DIALOGUES. 



YII. 



Have you breakfasted, 

Sir? 
No, Sir. 

You come in time ; 
breakfast is ready. 

I have come on purpose 
to breakfast with 
you. 

Very good ; what will 
you take 1 

What you please. 

Do you wish chocolate 
or coffee ? 

I am very fond of cho- 
colate. 

Bring the chocolate- 
pot. 

Put it on the fire. 

Where are the cups ? 

Here they are. 

These cups are beauti- 
ful ; I have never 
seen such fine china. 

Boil some water ; I will 
make some tea. 



Avete fatto colazione, 

Signore ? 
No, Signore, or, Sig- 

nor no. 
Venite a proposito, la 

colazione e pronta. 
Son venuto apposta per 

far colazione con voi. 

Benissimo, che cosa vo- 

lete prendere ? 
Quel che vi piacera. 
Yolete la cioccolata o 

il cafe? 
Mi piace molto la cioc- 
colata. 
Portate la cioccolat- 

tiera. 
Mettetela sul fuoco. 
Dove sono le chic- 

chere ? 
Eccole. 
Queste chicchere sono 

superbe : non lio mai 

veduto una cosi bclla 

porcellana. 
Fate scaldar dell' ac- 

qua, voglio far del 

to. 



DIALOGUES, 



105 



Do not make any for 
me ; a cup of cho- 
colate is enough for 
me. 

I have excellent tea ; I 
wish you to try it. 

Sir, I am much obliged 
to you for your kind- 
ness. 

Put a little more sugar 
in it. 

Your tea is very good ; 
where do you buy it? 

I will give you the ad- 
dress. 

You will do me a great 
favour. 



Non ne fate per me ; 
una chicchera di cioc- 
colata mi basta. 

Ho un te delizioso ; vo- 

glio che l'asseggiate. 
Signore, son molto te- 

nuto alia vostra bon- 

ta. 
Metteteci un poco piu 

di ziicchero. 
II vostro te e ottimo, 

dove lo comprate ? 
Yi daro l'indirizzo. 

Mi farete un gran pia- 
cere. 



vni. 



"What o'clock is it 1 
What o'clock do you 

think it is ? 
I think it is not yet two. 

It is half past two. 

It is a quarter to three. 

It is a quarter to four. 

It is five o'clock. 
How five ! it has struck 
six. 



Che ora e ? 

Che ora credete che 

sia?. 
Credo che non siano 

ancora le due. 
Sono due ore e mezzo. 
Sono due ore e tre quar- 

ti. 
Sonole quattromeno un 

quarto. 
Sono cinque ore. 
Come le cinque ! sono 

sonate le sei. 



106 



DIALOGUES. 



It will soon be nine 
o'clock. 

Do you hear the clock ? 

The clock is striking. 

Count the hours. 

It is twelve o'clock, 
(noon.) 

It is three o'clock ; half- 
past three. 

It is early yet. 

It is not late. 

See what o'clock it is 
by your watch. 

It does not go ; it is 
down. 

I must wind it up. 

It goes too fast. 

It goes too slow. 

It is almost dark. 

It is getting late. 

When do you go to 
bed? 

At twelve, (midnight.) 

"YVe shall see each other 
to-morrow, at eleven. 

I will wait for you till 
half-past eleven ; till 
a quarter to twelve. 



Saranno presto le nove. 

Sentite l'orologio? 
L'orologio suona. 
Contate le ore. 
E mezzodi. 

Sono tre ore ; sono tre 

ore e mezzo. 
E ancora a buon' ora. 
Non e tardi. 
Yedete che ora e al 

vostro oriuolo. 
Non va ; e scarieo. 

Bisogna ch'io lo carichi. 

Va avanti. 

Va addietro. 

E quasi notte. 

Si fa tardi. 

A che ora andate a let- 
to ? 

A mezza notte. 

Ci vedremo domani 
alle undici. 

Yi aspettero iino alle 
undici e mezzo ; fino 
alle lindice e tre 
quarti. 



IX. 

Where shall we go and Dove vogliamo andare 
dine ? a pranzo ? 



DIALOGUES. 



107 



If we wish to dine well, 
let us go to the 
Frenchman's. 

What do you wish, 
gentlemen ? 

We want to dine ; what 
have you that is 
good? 

I have good soup, tur- 
key, chickens, and 
pigeons. 

I have also a duck, eggs, 
and cauliflower. 

Have you any phea- 
sants ? 

No, gentlemen ; but I 
have partridges. 

Then give us some 
rice soup, chickens, 
grapes, and figs. 

Gentlemen, do you wish 

any fish ? 
Yes, give us some. 
Will you have soles or 

eels ? 
No ; bring us some 

skate, salmon, and 

oysters. 
Will you have white or 

red wine ? 



Se vogliamo pranzar 
bene ; andiamo dal 
Francese. 

Che bramate, signori ? 

Yogliamo pranzare ; 

che cosa avete di 

buono ? 
Ho una buona mines- 

tra, del gallinaccio, 

de' pollastri, e de' 

piccioni. 
Ho ancora un' anitra, 

delle uova, e de' ca- 

voli fiori. 
Avete de' fagiani ? 

No, signori, ma ho del- 
le pernicci. 

Dateci dunque una mi- 
nestra di riso, de' 
pollastri, dell' uva, e 
de' fichi. 

Bramate del pesce, sig- 
nori? 

Si, datecene. 

Volete delle sogliole, o 
delle anguille ? 

No ; portateci della 
razza, del sermone, e 
delle ostriche. 

Volete vino bianco o 
rosso ? 



108 



DIALOGUES. 



Give us in the mean 
time a bottle of white 
wine. 

This wine is excellent. 

Let us sit down at table. 
This soup is excellent. 
This beef is delicious. 

It is neither too fat nor 

too lean. 
The pigeons are very 

tender. 
They are very delicate. 
Give us something to 

drink. 
Your good health, Sir. 

Eat some of these figs ; 

they are excellent. 
I neither like figs, 

peaches, nor plumes. 

I am fond of straw- 
berries. 

It must be confessed 
that it is an excel- 
lent fruit. 

For my part, I am fond 
of all kinds of fruit ; 
and above all, me- 
lons. 



Dated in tan to una bot- 
tigiia di vin bianco. 

Questo vino e eccellen- 

te. 
Mettiamoci a tavola. 
Questa zuppa e ottima. 
Questo manzo e delizio- 

so. 
Non e ne troppo gras- 

so ne troppo magro. 
I piccioni sono molto 

teneri. 
Sono delicatissimi. 
Dated da here. 



Alia vostra salute, sig- 

nore. 
Mangiate di questi fichi, 

sono ottimi. 
A me non piacciono ne 

i fichi, ne le pesche, 

ne le susine. 
Amo le fragole. 

Bisogna confessare che 
e unfrutto eccellente. 



Quanto a me, io amo 
ogni sorte di frutti ; 
e soprattutto i me- 
loni, 



DIALOGUES. 



109 



Come, gentlemen, let 
ns rise from table ; 
it is time to go and 
walk. 



Animo, signori, levia- 
moci da tavola ; e 
tempo d'andare al 
passeggio. 



XII. 



Let us go and take a 
walk. 

Will you come with me ? 

Willingly. 

WTiither shall we go ? 

Let us go into the gar- 
den. 

Here are beautiful 
walks. 

There is, as you see, 
all kinds of flowers. 

There is a beautiful 
rose. 

Take this jasmine. 

Add this jelly-flower to 
your nose-gay. 

It has a very charming 
smell. 

Take a few oranges, 
Sir; you can give 
some to your child- 
ren. 



Andiamo a fare una 

passeggiata. 
Volete venir meco ? 
Volontieri. 
Dove andremo 1 
Andiamo nel giardino. 

Questi sono viali bel- 

lissimi. 
Vi e come vedete, ogni 

sorte di fiorL 
Ecco una bella rosa. 

Prendete questi gelso- 

mini» 
Aggiungete questo ga- 

rofano al vostro maz- 

zetto. 
Ha un odore molto 

soave. 
Prendete de melangoli, 

Signore, ne darete a* 

vostri figliuoli. 



K 



110 



DIALOGUES. 



I thank you, Sir ; I will 
rather take two or 
three lemons. 

Let us take a walk in 
the fields. 

The trees are in blos- 
som. 

The ears of corn are 
long. 

The grain is not ripe. 

There is a great quan- 
tity of fruit trees. 

I see fig-trees, apple- 
trees, and cherry- 
trees. 

I begin to be tired. 

Let us rest a little. 

Let us sit down under 
this oak, or on the 
bank of this rivulet. 

Let us rather sit down 
near that beech, as 
there is more grass 
and shade. 

Do you hear the black- 
bird sing ? 

I hear the nightingale. 

This walk has done me 
much good. 

There is nothing better 
for the health. 



Vi ringrazio, Signore, 
prendero piuttosto 
due o tre limoni. w 

Andiamo a passeggiare 
ne' campi. 

Gli alberi sono fioriti. 

Le spighe sono lunghe. 

II grano non e maturo. 
Vi e una gran quantita 

d'alberi fruttiferi. 
Yedo de' fichi, de' meli, 

e de' ciriegi. 

Commcio ad essere 

stanco. 
Riposiamoci un poco. 
Sediamo sotto questa 

quercia o alia riva di 

questo ruscelletto. 
Mettiamoci piuttosto 

vicino a quel faggio ; 

poiche vi e piu erba 

e piu ombra. 
Sentite voi cantare il 

merlo ? 
Sento il rosignuolo. 
Questa passeggiata mi 

ha fatto molto bene, 
Non v' e cosa migliore 

per la salute. 



DIALOGUES. 



Ill 



It is time to return 

home. 
The sun is already set. 
I thank you for your 

good company. 

I wish you good night. 

Farewell ; my compli- 
ments to all your 
family. 



E tempo di ri torn are a 

casa. 
II sole e gia tramontato. 
Vi ringrazio della vos- 

tra buona compag- 

nia. 
Vi auguro una felice 

notte. 
State bene ; i miei com- 

plimenti a casa. 



xin. 



MODE OF SPEAKING, IN WHICH THE THIRD PERSON SIN- 
GULAR IS USED INSTEAD OF THE SECOND PERSON 
PLURAL. 



Good morning, Sir, or 

Madam. 
How do you do ? 
How does your mother 

do? 
She is not very well. 
And how does your 

brother do ? 
He is quite well, I thank 

you. 
Have you seen Mrs. D. 

lately ? 
No, Sir; I have not 



Buon di a Vossignoria. 



Come sta ella ? 

Come sta la sua sig- 
nora madre f 

Non ista troppo bene. 

E il suo signor fratello, 
come sta egli ? 

Sta benissimo, la rin- 
grazio. 

Ha ella veduta recente- 
mente la Signora D. 

No, Signor ; non Vho 



112 



IDIOMS AXD PROVERBS. 



seen her since Mon- 
day. 

Have you been at the 
opera, lately ? 

No, Sir; I have not 
been there this year. 

Will you go with me 
the clay after to-mor- 
row? 

Willingly. 

Adieu, for the present. 

Good morning, Sir ; 
how do you do this 
morning ? 

Good morning, Ma'am ; 
how do you do ? 

Very well, at your ser- 
vice, I thank you. 

Pray, Sir, have the 
goodness to sit down. 



veduta dopo Lune- 
di. 

E stata recentemente 
all' opera ? 

No, Signore ; non vi 
sono stato quest' an- 
no. 

VuoF ella an dare meco 
posdomani % 

Volontieri, 

A rivederla. 

Buon giorno, Signore, 

come sta ella stamat- 

Una ? 
Buon giorno, Signora, 

come sta ella ? 
Benissimo, per servir- 

la, la ringrazio. 
Signore, favorisea di 

sedere, la prego. 



XIV. 



JDIOMS ANP PROVERBS, 



I expect you home in 
ten days. 

We should not give 
way to the pas- 
sions. 



Vi aspetto a casa da 
qui in dieci giorni. 

Non bisogniamo ab- 
bandonarci alle pas- 
sioni. 






IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



113 



lie is given over by the 
physicians. 

I am subject to a de- 
pression of mind. 

He is a gentleman of 

easy access. 
I will embrace every 

opportunity to serve 

you. 
Grasp all, lose all. 

As it sometimes hap- 
pens. 

It is not worth so much. 

You need not tell me 
the contrary. 

Have you made a good 
bargain ? 

I assure you I will not 
do it. 

What a cruel fate ! he 
was torn to pieces. 

That girl is forward, 

she must be kept 

under. 
AVhy do you speak so 

rou^hlv to him ? 
I will never tarnish the 

reputation of any one 

whomsoever. 



E abandonato da' me- 
dici. 

Sono vittima ad un 
abbattimento della 
mente. 

E un cavalliere di fa- 
cile abordo. 

Abbraccero tutte le oc- 
casioni di servirla. 

Chi troppo abbraccia, 

nulla stringe. 
Come tal volta accade. 

Non vale tanto. 

Non accade che mi di- 

ciate il contrario. 
Avete fatto un buon 

accatto ? 
V accerto che non lo 

faro. 
Che sorte crudele ! fu 

lacerato brano a 

brano. 
Quella fanciullina e 

impertinente, bisog- 

na tenerla in briglia. 
Per che gli parlate cosi 

brusco % 
Non voglio mai brut- 
tare l'onore di chi 

che sia. 



114 



IDIOMS AND PKOVKRBS. 



Will you go with us, 

my friend ? 
Most willingly. 
He is very peevish, he 

will not take a jest. 

You must then give 
him fair words. 

What an idler you are ! 

It is not your business 
to reprove me. 

I sink in oblivion all 
thoughts of ven- 
geance. 

Who is that man ? 

He has not wherewith 
to pay the bread 
which he eats. 

What a wicked boy 
thou art, to do what 
thou hast done to 
me ; but thou shalt 
pay dearly for it. 

I earnestly entreat you 
not to take revenge. 

What a good woman 
that is ! 

They tell me she pos- 
sesses all the cardi- 
nal virtues. 

I should like much to 
see her. 



Amico mio, volete an- 

dar con noi ? 
Di buona voglia. 
fC molto fastidioso, non 

vuol prender una 

buffa. 
Bisogna dunque dar- 

gli buone parole. 
Che ozioso siete ! 
Non cade a voi di ri- 

prendermi. 
Io metto in non cale 

ogni pensiero di ven- 
detta. 
Chi e queir uomo ? 
Non ha da pagare il 

pane che mangia. 

Che malizioso tu sei 
per fare cid che mi 
hai fatto ; ma me 
la pagherai cara- 
mente. 

Vi prego caramente di 
non pigliarmi ven- 
detta. 

Che buona donna e 
cotesta ! 

Mi dicono che possede 
tutte le virtu cardi- 
nali. 

Mi sarebbe molto a caro 
di vederla. 



IDIOMS AKD PKOVERBS. 



115 



He was an important 
person. 

They rose at clay- 
break. 

I have received the 
book you sent me, 
,and thank you. 

My dearest friend, why 
are you so angry ? 

Because they have been 
speaking ill of me. 

A fine cause to get into 
a passion ! 

You are a good little 
girl, and there is no 
one who will say the 
contrary. 

My friend, I will tell 
you a secret. 

I have complete pos- 
session of that man's 
heart. 

Have you, indeed ? 

How fortunate you 

are ! 
Where have you been, 

%. J 

my dear ? 
In the garden ; what 

do you want ? 
My book and paper. 



Era una persona d'alto 

conto. 
Si sono levati in sul far 

del di. 
Ho ricevuto il libro che 

mi ha mandato, e la 

ringrazio. 
Arnica carissima per- 

che andate in col- 

lera ? 
Perche mi hanno spar- 

lato. 
Un bel soggetto per an- 

dare in collera ! 
Siete una buona fan- 

ciullina e non vi sa- 

ra chi dica il contra- 

rio. 
Amico mio, vi diro un 

arcano. 
Ten go le chiavi del 

cuor di costui. 

Da vero % 

Come siete felice ! 

Dove siete stata, cara 

mia? 
Nel giardino, che chie- 

dete ? 
II mio libro e la mia 

carta. 



116 



IDIOMS AND PRO VERBS. 



They are in the next 
room. 

You do not look well 
this morning. 

I have a slight head- 
ache. 

Since when? 

Since Friday. 

Why did you not tell it 
me sooner ? 

Go and sleep, and you 
will be better to- 
morrow. 

Gentlemen, I wish you 
a good journey. 

I do not know what to 
reply on this head. 

This fellow is a com- 
plete rogue. 
He reaps the fruit of 

the labours of others. 
He struck me a blow 

on the head with a 

stone. 
Your painter has made 

your portrait a very 

good likeness. 
He has deceived me 

under the guise of 

friendship. 
"What a misfortune ! 



Stanno nelF altra ca- 
mera. 
Voi non avete buona 

cera stamattina. 
Ho un picciol mal di 

testa. 
Dopo quando ? 
Dopo Venerdi ? 
Perche non me 1'avete 

detto piuttosto ? 
Andatevene a dormire e 

domani sarete meg- 

lio. 
Signori, vi auguro il 

buon viaggio. 
Non so che rispondervi 

circa questo partico- 

lare. 
Quello e un briccone di 

prima classe. 
Coglie il frutto delle 

fatiche d'altrui. 
Mi colse in testa con 

una pietra. 

II vostro pittore vi ha 
colto molto bene nel 
vostro ritratto. 

Mi ha ingannato sotto 
color d'amore. 

Che colpo di disgrazia ! 



IDIOMS A^sD PROVERBS. 



117 



You live as if you had 
a thousand a-year. 

He cannot govern his 
passions. 

Adieu, my friend, I am 
going to take leave 
of my friends. 

They say that gentle- 
man is very rich, 

I do not think he is 
very rich ; but he 
has enough to live 
independently. 

You have a very sickly 
appearance. 

He has forfeited her 
esteem. 

Short reckonings make 
long friends. 

I am not fond of mak- 
ing many compli- 
ments. 

'Tis said the kino- is 
dead. 

This will afford us 
great subject for dis- 
course. 

The two brothers are 
twins. 

The eldest is very 
amiable. 

It is bad weather. 

You are in the wrong. 



Yivete come se aveste 

mille lire all' anno. 
Non sa come combat- 

tere le sue passioni. 
Addio, amico mio, vado 

a prender commiato 

da' miei amici. 
Si dice che quel sign ore 

e ricchissimo. 
Non credo che sia mol- 

to ricco, ma ha da 

vivere eompetente- 

mente. 
Sembrate molto mal 

complessionato. 
Ha perduto il concetto 

appresso di lei. 
Conti corti, amici cari. 

Non mi piace il fare 
mold convenevoli. 

Si dice che il re e 

morto. 
Questo ci dara gran co- 

pia di raggionare, 

I due fratelli son nati 
ad un colpo. 

II maggior e buon sog- 
getto. 

Fa cattivo tempo, 
Avete torto. 



118 



IDIOMS AND FRO VERBS. 



Is it you ? 

Yes, it is I. 

He approached us. 

Do you keep boarders ? 

Drive on, coachman. 
They came to blows. 
They live from hand to 

mouth. 
What do you mean ? 
It threatens to rain. 
What is that to you ? 
They looked out of the 

window. 
I wish you a happy 

new year. 
This is not to be said. 
It was rumoured that 

the enemies had 

taken a fortress. 
I am short of money. 
He is quite happy. 

They say he keeps open 

house. 
Do not disappoint me. 

He neglects his duty. 
Will you take a turn ? 
I have sore eyes. 
You are welcome to it. 
I am not on good terms 
with him. 



Siete voi ? 

Si, sono io. 

Si fece verso noi. 

Tenete gente a doz- 

zina ? 
Tocca, cocchiero. 
Yennero alle mani. 
Vivono di per di. 

Che volete dire ? 
Yuole piovere. 
Che monta a voi ? 
Si fecero alia finestra. 

Yi auguro il buon capo 

d'anno. 
Questo non va detto. 
Si sparse la voce che i 

nemici avessero pre- 

so una fortezza. 
II denaro mi manca. 
Tocca il cielo col 

dito. 
Si dice che tiene corte 

bandita. 
Non mi mancate di pa- 

rola. 
Manca al suo dovere. 
Yolete far un giro ? 
Mi dolgono gli occhi. 
Ne siete padrone. 
Sono male con lui. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



119 



What is the matter 

with you ? 
My hands are cold. 
Do your worst. 
Indeed you afflict me. 

I have many things to 
do, and can't attend 
to all at once ; so 
good bye. 

He has a daughter six- 
teen years of age ; 
and nature has en- 
dowed her with great 
beauty and capacity. 

This river empties it- 
self into the sea. 

We must give every 
one his due. 

Shall we set out by 
break of day ? 

We must be back again 
by next Tuesday. 

He will do it during 
his stay here. 

It is growing dark al- 
ready. 

I was very near being 
kiUed. 

Let us speak no more 
of this. 



Che avete ? 

Ho freddo alle mani. 

Fa se tu sai. 

Ben ho di voi onde mi 

doglia. 
Ho molti affari, e non 

si puo dormire e far 

la guardia ; dunque 

a rivederla. 
Ha una figlia di sedici 

anni ; la natura l'ha 

dotata d'una gran 

bellezza e di molta 

capacita. 
Questo fiume fa foce 

nel mare. 
Bisogna dare ad ognu- 

no il suo dovuto. 
Partiremo in sul far del 



giorno 



I 



Bisogna che ritorni- 
amo Martedi pros- 
simo. 

Lo fara tan to che res- 
tera qui. 

Si fa notte gia. 

Poco manco ch' io non 

fossi ucciso. 
Lasciamo andar questo 

discorso. 



120 



IDIOMS AND PRO VERBS. 



I will serve him as far 
as I am able. 

He always receives me 
as his own son. 

He turns money to 
good use. 

He must have it, though 
it should cost ever so 
much. 

I did it with a good in- 
tention. 

Ill got, ill spent. 

A bird in the hand is 

worth two in the 

bush. 
He makes one believe 

the moon is made of 

green cheese. 
Every country has its 

fashions. 
There are no roses 

without thorns. 
Without bread and 

wine, love is cold. 
Necessity forces me to 

do what I would not 

wish. 
Why have you been so 

long in coming ? 
Because I am very 

tired. 



Lo serviro per quanto 

posso. 
Sempre m' accoglie da 

figlio. 
Fa valere il danaro. 

Vuo averlo, costi quan- 
to si voglia. 

L'ho fat to a buon fine. 

Chi mal raguna, tosto 
disperge. 

Meglio e un uovo oggi 
che domani una gal- 
lina. 

Yende liicciole per lan- 
tern e. 

Tal paese, taF usanza. 

Non si puo aver la 
rosa senza le spine. 

Senza cerere e bacco, 
venere e di ghiaccio. 

La necessita mi cos- 
tringe a fare quel 
che non vorrei. 

Perche siete stato co- 
tanto a venire ? 

Perche mi sento molto 
stanco. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



121 



I have been unwell ; I 
am always so in win- 
ter. 

I do not like cold. 

Since vou were here, I 

wrote to Mr. L , 

from whom I re- 
ceived a favourable 
answer. 

What is it to you if I 
go there ? 

I esteem them very 
much. 

If he should happen to 
die, my heart will 
break. 

I received the book and 
pen-knife you sent 
me, and am much 
obliged to you for all 
these favours. 

My friend, I am borne 
down by misfortunes. 

I am very sorry for it. 

Who has occasioned 
you so many trou- 
bles and misfor- 
tunes ? 

Why did they do it ? 

I cannot get away from 
this place, not having 
any money. 



Sono stato ammalato ; 

lo sono sempre nelF 

inverno. 
Non mi piace il fredclo. 

Dono che siete stato 

j. 

qm, ho scritto al 

Signor L , da 

cui ebbi una favo- 
revole risposta. 

Che v'importa ch'io 
vada cola % 

Gli ho molto a cuore. 

Se venisse a morire, mi 
crepera il cuore. 

Ho ricevuto il libro ed 
il temperino che mi 
avete mandati, e vi 
sono debito per tutti 
questi favori. 

Amico mio, io sono 
caricato di sciagure. 

Lo sen to moltissimo. 

Chi vi ha cagionato 
tante pene e tante 
dissrrazie ? 

Perche lo hanno fatto ? 
Non posso distaccarmi 

da questo luogo, non 

avendo danaro. 



122 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



There is a very great 
difference between 
your fate and mine. 

The weather was fine 
yesterday, and we 
were in the country. 

This weather will not 
last long. 

I really believe it is as 
you say. 

The weather grows 
cold. 

The days begin to 
shorten. 

He spends his income 
before it is due. 

It is better going alone, 
than in bad com- 
pany. 

Adversity sharpens wit. 

To say and to do, are 

different things. 
We ought not always 

to give way to our 

passions. 
I cannot bring it to my 

recollection. 
Be on your guard. 
That requires a great 

deal of time. 
He gave me a very 

kind reception. 



V'e grandissimo disva- 

rio fra la vostra sorte 

e la mia. 
Ieri faceva buon tempo, 

e siamo stati nel 

campo. 
Questo tempo non avra 

lunga durata. 
Credo in effeto che sia 

come voi dite. 
II tempo declina verso 

il freddo. 
I giorni discrescono. 

Egli mangia l'agnello 

in Giugno. 
E meglio andar solo, 

che mal accompa- 

gnato. 
L'avversita aguzza l'in- 

gegno. 
Altro e dire, altro e 

fare una cosa. 
Non si deve sempre 

allargar il freno alle 

passioni. 
Non posso recarmelo a 

mente. 
State a riguardo. 
Cio ricerca molto tem- 
po. 
Mi ha data una lieta 

accoglienza. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



123 



Let every one Hiind his 

own business. 
A hundred pounds of 

sorrow won't pay an 

ounce of debt. 
It is better to be friends 

at a distance^ than 

enemies near at home. 
When it is fair weather, 

take your cloak ; 

when it rains, wear 

it if you please. 
A good friend is worth 

a hundred relations. 

If thou wouldst be re- 
venged of thy enemy, 
govern thyself. 

Even reckonings make 
long friends. 

I long to go away. 

We must strike the iron 

while it is hot. 
He is not a man to bear 

an affront. 
I am contented with 

what little I have. 
One cannot accomplish 

what many can. 
He lives upon his estate, 

and I on mine. 



Ciasciin attenda a' fatti 

suoi. 
Cent'ore di malinconia 

non pagano un quat- 

trino di debito. 
E meglio esser amici da 

lontano, che nemici 

d'appresso. 
Ne di state, ne d'in- 

verno, non andar 

senza mantello. 

E meglio un buon 

amico che cento pa- 

renti. 
Vuoi far vendetta del 

tuo nemico, governati 

bene. 
Conti chiari, amici cari. 

Non veggo Pora d'an- 

darmene. 
Bisogna batter il ferro 

mentre egli e caldo. 
Egli non e uomo a 

portar basto. 
Quel poco che ho mi 

basta. 
Una noce non suona in 

sacco. 
Egli vive del suo, ed io 

del mio. 



124 



IDIOMS A^D PR0VEHB3. 



I will turn a deaf ear to 

what he says. 
He that cheats is often 

cheated. 
Ravens never pluck out 

each other's eyes. 
It is not all gold that 

glitters. 
He that buys land, buys 

trouble. 
Death spares no one. 

We must think before 
we speak. 

To expect, and not to 
come, to lie a-bed, 
and not to sleep, to 
serve, and not to 
please, are three 
things enough to kill 
a man. 

Much good may it do 
you. 

I have him in my 
power. 

I catch you in an un- 
lucky moment. 

Are you concerned in 
this affair? 

Beauty declines with 
age. 



Gli faro orecchie di 
mercanti. 

Chi cerca d'ingannar, 
resta ingannato. 

Corvi con corvi non si 
cavan mai gli occhi. 

Cio che luce non e 
sempre oro. 

Chi compra terra, com- 
pra guerra. 

La morte non la per- 
dona a nessuno. 

Bisogna masticar le 
parole prima di par- 
Mr. 

Aspettare, e non venire, 
star in letto, e non 
dormire, servire, e 
non gradire, son tre 
cose da far morire. 



Buon pro vi faccia. 
Lo tengo in pugno. 

Vi piglio in un mal 

punto. 
Siete voi parte in questo 

negozio ? 
La bellezza declina coir 

eta. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



125 



It is better one's foot 
slip, than one's 
tongue. 

It is at your service, 
or, you are welcome 
to it. 

They live in abun- 
dance. 

I have found the task 
harder to accomplish 
than I expected. 

I have business of im- 
portance and cannot 
wait. 

They are in good plight. 

Do not give yourself up 
to grief. 

He has no conscience 
at all. 

Cunning men are some- 
times caught. 

He always baffles my 
designs. 

You are very expert at 
business. 

He was ever the sport 
of fortune. 

I am not of vour 

it 

opinion. 
It begins to grow cold. 



E meglio sdrucciolar 
co' piedi che colla 
lingua. 

Ne siete padrone m. and 
padrona, f. 

Stanno nelToro. 

Ho trovato il becco 
piu duro a miignere 
cli quel che mi pen- 
sava. 

Ho affari di momento e 
non posso attendere. 

Sono in buon punto. 

Non vi date in preda 

al dolore. 
Egli non ha punto co- 

scienza. 
Delle volpi si pigliano 

alle volte. 
Mi rompe sempre l'uo- 

vo in bocca. 
Siete unico nel vostro 

mestiere. 
Egli sempre era il ber- 

saglio clella fortuna. 
Ho l'animo vario dal 

vostro. 
II tempo si volge a 

freddo. 



126 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



When do you intend to 
go? 

Do you say so in ear- 
nest? 

I agree with you. 

While there is life, 

there is hope. 
I would have done it, 

though he had been 

present. 
Follow my advice. 

He was an eye-witness 

to it. 
Now it is your turn. 
That is not the fashion. 

They cannot live an 

hour together. 
I am exceedingly sorry 

I cannot oblige you. 
I am choking with 

thirst. 
I was alone with him. 

I am in earnest. 
What day of the month 

is it? 
It is the tenth. 
1 think it is the eleventh. 



Quando fate pensiero 

di par tire ? 
Me lo dite da vero ? 



Vengo a concordia con 

voi. 
Chi ha vita, ha tempo. 



L'avrei fatto, quando 
anche fosse presente. 

Appigliatevi al mio 

consiglio. 
Egli vi fu testimonio di 

veduta. 
Adesso e vostra vice. 
Quello non e in voga. 

Non possono reggere 
un' ora insieme. 

Mi pesa moltissimo di 
non potervi servire. 

Mi struggo di sete. 

Fui con lui da solo a 

solo. 
Parlo da senno. 
A quanti siamo del 

mese? 
Siamo ai dieci. 
Credo die siamo agli 

lindici. 



IDIOMS AND FKOVEEBS. 



127 



He is dead and buried. 

Peace be with you* 
All your misfortunes 

are attributable to 

him. 
I have come for that 

particular purpose. 
How do affairs stand. 

It is whispered about 

town. 
I will do all I can to 

please and serve you. 

I am wont to rise by 
day-break. 

We must proceed cau- 
tiously. 

I must go. 

We must all die. 

Did you not get a wink 
of sleep last night ? 

He is dying. 

That is not my mean- 
ing. 

You understand well 
how to build castles 
in the air. 

1 fear lest some acci- 
dent befall yon. 



E andato nel regno 

delle talpe. 
Rimanetevi in pace. 
A lui s'appongono tutte 

le vostre sciagure. 

Io son venuto appunto 

per questo. 
In che termine sono le 

cose? 
Si susurra per la citta. 

Faro ogni mio sforzo 

per piacervi e ser- 

virvi. 
Son solito a levarmi 

alio spuntar del gior- 

no. 
Bisogna giuocar netto. 

Bisogna ch'io vada. 
Ci bisogna tutti morire. 
Non avete dormito ni- 

ente la notte passata ? 
Sta per morire. 
Non e questo il mio 

pensiero. 
Voi sapete bene come 

far castelli in aria. 

Temo che non vi av- 
venga qualche dis- 
grazia. 



128 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



I never wish to see you 

more. 
He will not let me 

alone. 
Let us advance. 
You must be bled. 

What a beautiful tree 
that is ! 

You took me by sur- 
prise. 

The rose is the queen 
of flowers. 

Do you expect your 
brother ? 

Yes, Sir, and he will 
come without fail. 

We went all three to 
the opera last night. 

Where will they land ? 
He is ready to fall. 
He abuses us without 

any reason. 
That man fights with 

his shadow. 
Hasty climbers have 

sudden falls. 
They have reduced me 

to beggary. 
We will find a remedy 

for that. 



Non voglio vedervi mai 

piu. 
Non vuole lasciiirmi 

stare. 
Facciamo strada. 
Bisogna sventarvi la 

vena. 
Che bellissimo e quelP 

albero ! 
Mi siete venuto soprav- 

vento. 
La rosa spicca fra gli 

altri fiori. 
Aspettate vostro fratel- 

lo? 
Si Signore, e verra sen- 

za fallo. 
Tutti e tre andammo 

all' opera quella not- 

te. 
Dove piglierete terra ? 
Sta per cadere. 
Ci maltratta senza dar- 

gliene il perche. 
Colui da calci al vento, 

e pugni all' aria. 
A cader va chi troppo 

in alto sale. 
Mi hanno fatto venire 

a niente. 
Troveremo sesto a quel- 
le 



IDIOMS AJsD PROVERBS. 



129 



It looks as if it would 

rain. 
He conceals things, 

every one knows. 
It is blowing. 
He does not know now 

which way to turn. 
We wish you well. 
"Who is that gentlman 

who is looking out 

at the window. 
Fortune smiles upon 

you. 
I am very sleepy. 
I will swear to it. 

That man lives from 
hand to mouth. 

This fellow lives a mer- 
ry life. 

It came into my head. 

I will not lose sight of 
that. 

Let us depart. 

Shake hands with me. 

He knows how to turn 
money to a good use. 

Thus I am disheartened. 

Most of those people 
live from hand to 
mouth. 

What is that to you, if 
he come here ! 



Vuo piovere. 

Egli tiene segreti i 

bandi. 
Tira vento. 
Egli non sa adesso dove 

volgersi. 
Vi vogliamo bene. 
Chi e quel Signore che 

si fa alia finestra ? 

La fortuna vi fa ridere. 

Muoio di sonno. 

Ne mettero le mani al 

fuoco. 
Colui vive di per di. 

Costui si da bel tempo. 

Mi e caduto in mente. 
Non perdero cio di 

vista. 
Mettiamociin cammino. 
Toccatemi la mano. 
Sa far valere il danaro. 

Cosi manco d'animo. 
La maggior parte di 
coloro vive di per di. 

Che vi fa che venga 
qui. 



130 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



I will frighten you to 
death. 

I will turn it over in 
my mind. 

They have fought ob- 
stinately. 

He is short of money. 

We shall go halves in 
that affair. 

My house is at the bot- 
tom of a hill. 

Have you been in Ita- 
ly? 

I speak to you as a 
friend ? 

Permit me to tell you 
as a friend. 

He is not well versed 
in this kind of busi- 
ness. 

Let us prefer study to 
pleasure. 

I have been in France. 
We have been there 

also. 
His father is not only 

liberal but prodigal. 

Ill weeds grow apace. 

He has promised me 
some recommenda- 



Vi faro sudar senz' 
aver caldo. 

Mi volgerollo per l'ani- 
ma. 

Hanno combattuto as- 
pramente. 

II denaro gli manca. 

Faremo a meta in quel- 
la faccenda. 

La mia casa sta al bas- 
so d'una montagna. 

Siete stato in Italia ? 

Vi parlo amichevol- 
mente. 

Permettete che vi dica 
da amico. 

Non ha l'occhio aguz- 
zo in questa sorte 
d'affari. 

Amiamo meglio lo stu- 
dio che non i piace- 
ri. 

Io sono stato in Francia. 

Vi siamo stati anche 
noi. 

Suo padre non e sola- 
men te liberale anzi 
prodigo. 

Ogni mal erba cresce 
presto. 

Mi ha promesso alcune 
lettere favorevoli 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



131 



tory letters to his 
friends in England. 

If ever I have an op- 
portunity to serve 
them I will do it. 

I am very glad to hear 
it. 

I shall be very glad to 
see him, for he is a 
gentleman of great 
merit. 

They shall make good 
the loss. 

I will forbear to speak 
further on this sub- 
ject. 

I will not dwell any 
longer on this sub- 
ject. 

Do not allow yourself 
to be deceived by 
flattery. 

Get ready, I am on the 
point of setting out. 

Don't say a word about 
it. 

Do your worst. 

That fellow laughs at 
us. 

You will miss him 
when he is dead. 

That will make your 
mouth water. 



presso 1 suoi amici in 
Inghil terra. 
Se avro mai Fadito di 
servirli, li servird. 

Godo molto di sentirlo. 

Godro molto di vederlo 
poiche e un cavaliere 
di gran merito. 

Eglino m'ammenderan- 

no il danno. 
Lascero andare questo 

discorso. 

Non m'estendo a dir 

piu sopra questo sog- 

getto. 
Non vi lasciate addor- 

mentare dalle lusin- 

ghe. 
Apparecchiatevi, sto 

per partire. 
Non ne fate motto. 

Fa se tu sai. 

Colui ci piglia a gabbo. 

Quando sara morto av- 
rete soffratta di lui. 

Cio vi fara venir Facqua 
alia gola. 



132 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 






She takes after her mo- 
ther. 

They say he is a very 
deserving man. 

Your politeness quite 
overpowers me. 

He is too fond of hunt- 



ing. 



His strength fails him. 

What is the matter 
with you? 

My hands are cold. 

My feet are warm. 

Are you thirsty ? 

He is hungry. 

How is the weather ? 

It is cold. 

How old are you? 

I am twelve years old. 

You have grown very 
tall. 

It is bad weather, there 
is no going out. 

We will depart at five 
o'clock. 

I shall lay the cloth di- 
rectly. 

Dinner is ready, let us 
sit down to table. 

He has set up a shop, 
and gains a liveli- 
hood. 

Wines that taste sweet 



Ritrae dalla madre. 

Dicono che e un uomo 
di gran vaglia. 

Voi mi vincete di cor- 
tesia. 

Egli e troppo vago del- 
la caccia. 

Le forze gli mancano. 

Che avete? 

Ho freddo alle mani. 
Ho caldo ai piedi. 
Avete sete ? 
Egli ha fame. 
Che tempo fa ? 
Fa freddo. 
Quanti anni avete ? 
Ho dodici anni. 
Siete molto cresciuto. 

Fa cattivo tempo, non 

si puo uscire. 
Ci metteremo in cam- 

mino alle cinque. 
Mettero la tavola ades- 

so. 
II pranzo e in ordine, 

mettiamoci a tavola. 
Egli ha messo bottega, 

e guadagna da vi- 

vere. 
I vini che sanno di dol- 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



133 



do not agree with 
me. 
I will do all I can to 
please you. 

I do not understand 

this. 
He is ready to take, 

but unwilling to give. 

He was put out of 

countenance. 
I want to cut that man. 

He prides himself on 
being an honest man. 

They tell me he is a 
man of great conse- 
quence. 

One might walk in the 
shade there, not only 
in the morning, but 
even at any hour the 
sun was higher. 

I know it but too well. 

Say, now, what you 
will. 

I love neither you nor 
him. 

So may you arrive at 
the end of your 
journey. 



ce non si confanno a 

me. 
Faro tutto cio che di- 

pende da me per pia- 

cervi. 
Questa cosa non m'en- 

tra. 
Egli ha la mano presta 

a ricevere, ma ricolta 

a dare. 
Rimase con un palmo 

di naso. 
Yoglio tener favella a 

colui. 
Si picca d'essere un 

galantuomo. 
Mi dicono che e un 

uomo di gran peso. 

Vi si poteva andare 
all' ombra, non che 
la mattina, ma qua- 
lora il sole era piu 
alto. 

Lo so pur troppo. 

Dite pur quel che vo- 
lete. 

Io non amo ne voi ne 
lui. 

Se voi arriviate al fine 
del vostro viaggio. 



M 



m 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



If it be agreeable to 

you, I will go. 
They arrived at mid- 
night. 
We lost every thing 

but your esteem. 
I have no money about 

me. 
He stays near me. 
They are about him 

the whole day. 
We received twenty 

ducats a man. 
Both by land and sea, 

all is full of peril. 

They mistake vice for 

virtue. 
He was just going. 
I am going to tell it 

you. 
Gratitude is highly to 

be commended. 

That gentleman is a 

man of ability. 
He is not a man fit for 

that appointment. 
They toil at it from 

morning to evening. 
They were kept in 

prison about three 

months. 



Se vorrete, andro. 

Son giunti a mezza 

notte. 
Perdemmo tutto salvo 

la vostra stima. 
Non ho denari adosso. 

Egli mi sta appresso. 
Gli sono attorno tutto 

il giorno. 
Ricevemmo venti du- 

cati per uomo. 
E per mare e per terra 

e tutto pien di peri- 

colo. 
Sbagliano il vizio per 

virtu. 
Egli fu per andare. 
Sto per dirvelo. 

La gratitudine e som- 

mamente da com- 

mendare. 
Quel signore e uomo da 

molto. 
Egli non e uomo da 

quell' impiego. 
Vi si lavora da mat tin a 

a sera. 
Furono tenuti in prigi- 

one da tre mesi. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



135 



We shall now begin 
this work. 

Men are now-a-days 
subject to the same 
passions. 

He took me aside and 
made me read this 
paper. 

They are for the most 
part avaricious. 

Tell him to come up 
here. 

They answered, yes. 

He said, no. 

He is always below. 

Upon my faith I do 
love you, my dear 
son, as much as I do 
myself. 

Then I saw a ship in 
the offing. 

Let us shun ill-bred ac- 
quaintances, as one 
does a poisonous ser- 
pent. 

A few days after he 
died. 

He has a wish to do 
good, and is besides 
very rich. 

How do your brothers 
do? 

They are tolerably well. 



Ora daremo principio a 

questo lavoro. 
Gli uomini d'oggidi 

sono soggetti alle 

medesime passioni. 
Mi trasse a parte e mi 

fece leggere questo 

foglio. 
Sono per la maggior 

parte avari. 
Ditegli che venga 

quassu. 
Risposero di si. 
Disse di no. 
Egli e sempre giu. 
Per mia fe io vi amo, 

mio caro figlio, quan- 

to me stesso. 

Indi vidi una nave per 

l'alto mare. 
Fuggiamo le pratiche 

scostumate, come si 

fugge un serpe vele 

noso. 
Indi a pochi di mori. 

Egli ha desiderio di far 
del bene, ed e inoltre 
richissimo. 

Come stanno i vostri 
fratelli ? 

Stanno cosi cosi. 



136 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 






He dresses in the Span- 
ish fashion. 

He has always spoken 
openly to me. 

Faith, I shall pay thee 
off for it. 

I might then have been 
thirty years old. 

I will be more cautious 
for the future. 

At least I shall be in a 
short time quite re- 
covered. 

To-day I am somewhat 
better. 

He looks at him, from 
head to foot. 

Are you a good judge 
of wines ? 

My happiness depends 
upon you. 

Who has stolen your 
purse ? 

I am struck w r ith hor- 
ror in telling thee. 

I am not permitted to 
remain. 

After the treaty was 
finished. 

Having said that, he 
departed. 

The thief, hearing a 
noise, fled. 



Yeste alia Spagnuola. 

Mi ha sempre parlato 

apertamente. 
Affe, me la pagherai. 

Allora poteva io aver 

trent' anni. 
Saro piu guardigno 

per l'av venire. 
Almeno saro fra non 

molto affatto guarito. 

Oggi sto alquanto me- 

glio. 
Ben ben lo squadra. 

Vi conoscete di vini ? 

La mia felicita dipende 

da voi. 
Chi vi ha rubato la bor- 

sa? 
Mi raccapriccio nel dir- 

velo. 
Non mi vien permesso 

di restare. 
Finita che fu la tregua. 

Cio detto, parti. 

II ladro, udendo strepi- 
pito, fuggi. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



137 



We have been in great 
danger going. 

© © © 

The relieving of the 

poor is a work for a 

good Christian. 
He has too much to do. 
Give me something to 

drink. 
They make us believe 

a great many things. 
He offered to guide us 

by night and by day. 
Are you afraid to dis- 
please him ? 
Having said that, he 

left off speaking. 
Pray, allow me to 

speak. 
Can you read and 

write ? 
Perhaps he has told 

him not to depart. 
He supposes they have 

arrived. 
What are vou looking 

for? 
I am writing to my dear 

father. 
It is said that the people 

of this country are 

hospitable. 
Of men there are the 

fortunate and the un- 



Siamo stati camminan- 
do in gran pericolo. 

II sollevare i poveri e 
un' opera da buon 
Cristiano. 

Egli ha troppo da fare. 

Datemi da bere. 

Ci danno a credere 

molte cose. 
Si offri di guidarci di 

notte e di giorno. 
Temete di dispiacergli ? 

Cio detto, egli lascio di 

parlare. 
Lasciatemi parlare, ve- 

ne prego. 
Sapete leggere e scri- 

vere ? 
Forse gli avra detto di 

non partire. 
Crede che saranno ar- 

rivati. 
Che andate cercando ? 

lo sto scrivendo al mio 

caro padre. 
Si dice che il popolo di 

questo paese e ospi- 

tale. 
Degli uomini chi e av- 

venturato, chi e mi- 



138 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



fortunate ; part are 
good, part bad ; some 
too daring, others too 
timid ; one weeps, 
another laughs ; some 
love, some hate ; this 
is ever contented, 
that ever complain- 

, ing ' 
Such was his affliction 

that he died of it. 

With some good wine 

they refreshed us. 

How long have you 

been here ? 
I will esteem him so 

long as my life shall 

last. 
I will not harm any 

person whatever. 
All three went home. 

Every one of them pe- 
rished. 

He went away without 
saying any thing. 

To fulfil is one thing, 
to promise is an- 
other. 

Do not to any one that 
which thou likest not 
for thyself. 



sero ; qual e buono, 
qual e malvagio ; tal 
e troppo ardito, tal e 
troppo timido ; uno 
piange, uno ride ; al- 
tri ama, altri odia ; 
questi di tutto e pa- 
go, quegli di tutto si 
lagna. 

Cotanta fu la sua affli- 
zione che ne mori. 

Con alquanto di buon 
vino ci riconfortaro- 
no. 

Quanto e che siete qua? 

Lo stimero quanto la 
vita mi durera. 

Io non faro male a chic- 

chessia. 
Tutti e tre se n'andaro- 

no a casa. 
Tutti quanti perirono. 

Se n'ando senza dir nul- 
la. 

Altro e adempire, altro 
e promettere. 

Non far ad altrui quel 
che non vuoi per te. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



139 



What you say is very 
true. 

They have not yet pu- 
nished the highway- 
man ; which sur- 
prises me very much. 

I have never been jea- 
lous ; I am not so, 
and I will never be 
so. 

The best way to re- 
venge thyself is to 
pardon. 

That fellow has stolen 
a picture from me, 
and a horse from 
you. 

I thank you for your 
offer. 

Beware of flatterers. 

They toil at it day and 
night. 

Having but one small 
room, and only one 
little bed, I cannot 
lodge you. 

Pray, have a little pa- 
tience, and allow me 
to conclude. 

Slanderers are odious 
to God and men. 



Cio che dite e verissi- 
mo. 

Non hanno ancora pu- 
nito il masnadiere, il 
che mi sorprende 
moltissimo. 

Non sono mai stato ge- 
loso, non lo sono, 
e non lo saro mai. 

II miglior modo di ven- 

dicarti e il perdo- 

nare. 
Colui ha rubato a me 

un quadro, e a voi 

un cavallo. 

Vi ringrazio della vos- 

tra offerta. 
Guardatevi dagli adu- 

latori. 
Vi si lavora di e notte. 

Non avendo che una 
cameretta ed un solo 
letticello, non posso 
alloggiarvi. 

Di grazia, abbiate un 
poco di pazienza, e 
lasciatemi finire. 

I detrattori sono odiosi 
a Dio ed agli uomi- 
ni. 



140 



IDIOMS AND PKOVEKliS. 



If you wish to be re- 
venged, hold your 
tongue, and you give 
a mortal wound to 
your enemy. 

Learning makes men 
better. 

What is more pleasant 
than this law ? to 
abstain from wicked- 
ness ; to wish good, 
not to wish evil ; to 
hate no one ; to be 
unwilling to do to 
others what we would 
not have done to 
ourselves. 

Who is more exalted 
than he who despises 
money ? 

Esteem honour more 
than anything what- 
ever in the world. 

There is a beautiful 
garden, and a foun- 
tain in the middle of 
it. 

Some remained in the 
town, others returned 
to the country. 

I will not trouble you 
any more. 



Se volete vendicarvi, 
tacete, e avete dato 
una piaga mortale 
al nemico. 

La dottrina fa gli uo- 
mini migliori. 

Quale cosa e piu soave 
di questa legge ! as- 
tenersi dalla malva- 
gita, volere il bene, 
non volere il male, 
non odiare nessuno, 
non voler fare agli 
altri quello ch'uno 
non vorebbc a se. 

Chi e piu eccelente di 
colui che disprezza il 
danaro ? 

Fate piu stima delPonore 
che di qualsivoglia 
cosa del mondo. 

V'e un bel giardino, e 
in mezzo d'esso una 
fontana. 

Chi rimase in citta, chi 
torno in villa. 

Non voglio importun- 
arvi altrimenti. 



IDIOMS AM) PROVERBS. 



HI 



Having heard whom it 

belonged to, I would 

not accept it. 
Take the glass, and 

give me something 

to drink. 
I wanted to go to your 

house to wish you a 

good journey, but it 

was impossible. 
I wish to go and spend 

a few weeks at my 

small country house. 
Do you not perceive 

that he is jesting ? 
He loves us as a father. 
I do not answer you as 

a physician, but as 

your good friend. 
I will go to my brother's. 
He was kept in prison 

about ten months. 
I studied Italian for six 

years. 
I left home about the 

beginning of the 

evening. 
I declare to you as an 

honest man that I 

did not see it. 
Dante teaches us that 

the path of virtue is 



Avendo udito di chi 
era, non volli ac- 
cettarlo. 

Pigliate il bicchiere, e 
datemi da bere. 

Yoleva venire da voi a 
darvi il buon viaggio, 
ma non e stato pos- 
sible. 

Voglio andar a fare 
alcune settimane alia 
mi a villetta. 

Non v'accorgete che lo 
dice da burla ? 

Ci ama da padre. 

Non vi rispondo da 
medico, ma bensi da 
vostro buon amico. 

Andro da mio fratello. 

Fu tenuto in prigiono 
da dieci mesi. 

Ho studiato l'italiano 
per sei anni. 

Sono uscito di casa 
quasi in sul farsi 
sera. 

Vi giuro da galantuomo 
che non l'ho veduto. 

Dante c'insegna che il 
cammino della virtu 



U2 



IDIOMS AKD PKOVEKBS. 



difficult at first, then 
easy, and at length 
very pleasant. 

I remember you and 
will always do so, 
because you deserve 
it. 

If you had come ear- 
lier, you might have 
dined with us. 

Come on, do not be 
afraid, I will take 
you home in safety. 

In looking around, I 
saw nothing but 
clouds and the sea. 

Thinking I had seen 
enough, I intended 
to return to London. 

He who has betrayed 
his benefactor, may 
do what he likes, 
without feeling the 
least remorse. 

When they had heard 
this, no more was 
required. 

He trembled like a 
leaf, and did not 
know where he was. 



e malagevole nel 
principio, poi age vole, 
e in fine molto dilet- 
tevole. 
Mi ricordo e mi ricor- 
dero sempre di voi, 
perche voi lo valete. 

Se foste venuto a 
miglior ora, avreste 
desinato con noi. 

Su via, non abbiate 
paura, io vi porro a 
casa vostra sano e 
salvo. 

Guardando dattorno, 
non vedeva altro che 
nuvoli e mare. 

Parendomi aver assai 
veduto, proposi di 
tornare a Londra. 

Colui che ha tradito il 
benefattore, puo fare 
quello che vuo, 
senz'averne il minimo 
rimorso. 

Come ebbero udito 
questo, non bisogno 
piii avanti. 

Trcmava come verga, e 
non sapeva dove 
fosse. 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



143 



He avoids me as if 

I were something 

strange. 
Be very attentive to 

what I am about to 

tell you. 
I was very desirous for 

several days to know 

who he was. 
Not to lose time, I will 

go and begin. 

We ought not to speak 
ill of the absent. 

Assist me. 

He makes himself liked 
by all. 

What are you looking 
for? 

I am going to bring 
him to you. 

Did you hear what has 
happened to my un- 
cle? 

I have to tell you from 
him, that he wishes 
to speak to you this 
evening. 

It is a small trifle of 
no value. 

It will be pleasant for 
us to bathe when it 
is so warm. 



Mi fugge come se io 
fossi qual che cosa 
strana. 

Attendete bene a quello 
che vi diro. 

Io desiderai somma- 

mente piu giorni di 

saper chi fosse. 
Per non perder tempo, 

voglio andar a com- 

inciare. 
Non si vuol dir male 

de' lontani. 
Datemi una mano. 
Si fa voler bene da 

tutti. 
Che andate cercando ? 

Ycl meno adesso. 

Avete inteso quello che 

e intervenuto a mio 

zio? 
Ho a dirvi da parte sua 

ch'egli desidera par- 

larvi stasera. 

E una bagatelliicia da 
non fame con to. 

Ci sara dilettevole il 
bagnarci ora che fa 
si caldo. 



144 



IDIOMS AND PROVERBS. 



It is in vain for you to 
act secretly, we are 
acquainted with every 
thing. 

Po you require me in 
this matter ? 

What folly ! 

It becomes you, indeed, 
to complain of this 
affair ! 

If you do not do it will- 
ingly, we will com- 
pel you to do it. 

Do not stir. 

If you do not set about 
it as I tell you, you 
will never accom- 
plish it. 

The town was instantly 
in a tumult, and they 
shut the shops. 



Fate pur segretamente, 
noi sappiamo ogni 
cosa. 

Avete bisogno di me in 
questa faccenda ? 

Che cosa goifa ! 

Yi sta proprio bene do- 
lervi del fatto ! 

Se nol farete di buona 
voglia, noi velo fa- 
rem fare per forzac 

Non vi movete. 

Se non farete si come 
io dico voi non ne 
verrete mai a capo. 

Incontanente si lev 6 la 
terra a romore, e ser- 
raronsi le botteghe. 



FINIS. 




WILLIAM MACPHAIL, PRINTER, 2 GREENSIDE PLACE. 



